Biggest Running News from 2017 + How to Have an Epic Year!

In this episode we look back on the biggest running news from 2017. Plus we share tips on how you can make 2018 an epic year!

In the quick tip segment we recommend an app that lets you easily run for charity.

Biggest Running News from 2017

Here is our roundup of the top stories from 2017. As you will see, some are more light hearted than others. I’m sure we missed some good stories so feel free to share a link in the comment section below.

Breakthroughs . . .

Nike’s Breaking 2 attempt at the Formula One track in Italy. Every detail and factor had been assessed and studied for nearly three years in advance. The three men participating were Lelisa Desisa, Zersenay Tadese and Eliud Kipchoge. Kipchoge was the only one who came close to two hours finishing in 2:00:25 after a 100% effort. Five months later he finished first at the Berlin Marathon.

Galen Rupp cemented himself as the current top American marathoner by winning the Chicago Marathon- running the last 5 miles at sub world record pace.

Jordan Hasay ran Boston in 2:23:00 making it the fastest marathon debut by an American woman (previous record was held by Kara Goucher). Hasay had never even raced a half marathon before.

16 year old Norwegian runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen became the youngest runner in history to run a mile in under four minutes when he clocked 3:58.07 at the Pre Classic in Eugene, Oregon. Incredibly, Ingebrigtsen would follow it up by running almost two seconds faster in front of his home crowd in Oslo, improving his mile PR to 3:56.29.

Shalane Flanagan age 36 won the NYC Marathon (first US woman to win in 40 years).

Tina Muir, of The Running for Real podcast, a professional runner from Great Britain, chose to stop running to regain her menstrual cycle (which had been gone for over seven years). After ten weeks she was able to reach her goal of getting pregnant and is expecting her first baby in early 2018.

Julia Hawkins, age 101 from Louisiana, (who started competitive cycling at age 81) competed at the Senior Olympic Games for the first time last year and recently got a PR of 36.62 seconds in the 100 meter dash.

The rivalry between Dixon Hemphill age 92 and Orville Rogers age 99 continued at the Masters Indoor Track Championship in the 60 meter dash. Rogers won by a small margin with 18 seconds flat.

Losses . . .

Middle distance Olympian David Torrence died at age 31.

Professional long distance runner Gabe Proctor died at age 27.

Long distance legend Ed Whitlock of Canada died at the age of 86. Among his many accomplishments was a 2:54 marathon at age 73 and a time of 3:56 at age 85.

Harriet Thompson, the oldest woman to run a marathon and half marathon, died at age 94. She didn’t start doing marathons until age 76 as a way to raise funds and awareness for cancer.

Bad Asses . . .

An elite runner named Esther Atkins used her speed to save money while traveling to her race. She scheduled her flight for 2 hours after she anticipated finishing the race and ran from the finishing line with a small backpack to La Guardia Airport. She placed 3rd in the race and had an hour to spare before her flight back to South Carolina.

Kelly Herron, age 36, from Seattle was attached mid-run when she stopped to use some park bathrooms. Herron fought back with a vengeance using self-defense techniques and was able to lock the attacker (a sex offender from Arizona) in a bathroom stall until police arrived. Although she was injured she didn’t let this incident stop her from running and completed the Chicago Marathon this year.

John Kelly from DC became the 15th person to finish the brutal Barkley Marathons in TN, doing the 5 loops in 59:30 (just under the 60 hour cut off). He was the only finisher this year.

Retirement . . .

Meb Keflezighi, age 42, crossed the finish line of his final professional race at the NYC Marathon.

Bart Yasso retired from Runner’s World at the end of the year.

Just for Fun . . .

British Columbia runners had to call police to report that a small white pony named Motley was on the loose and was chasing them and nipping at their heels. The situation quickly got out of hand when police arrived at the scene and it took three officers to corral him.

Artist Lori Richmond uses her runs for artistic inspiration. She snaps a picture of whatever catches her eye while running and then heads home and immediately turns the image into a painting. She’s kept up these daily paintings for her whole training cycle.

Glen Raines, age 50, a software engineer, has a running alter ego called Barefoot Caveman. During races he runs barefoot and only wears a handsewn loincloth and bone necklace. He finished the 2017 Boston Marathon in 3:40.

Chris Estwanik of Bermuda set a record as the fastest suit wearing half marathon at the NYC Half Marathon in 1:11:36. The idea was hatched as a bar bet and he bought the most flexible suit he could find for the race.

Sources:

• www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/here-are-the-most-popular-running-stories-of-2017?utm_content=2017-12-20&utm_campaign=Rundown&utm_source=runnersworld.com&utm_medium=newsletter&smartcode=YN_0005456889_0001648587&sha1hashlower=79634a51c87300ef6a8e3a947d1dea51b96d4049&md5hash=72b1a7488d27773c6bf6b3c0c2d566d7
• www.outsideonline.com/2269966/best-running-moments-2017
• www.runnersworld.com/newswire/best-underappreciated-stories-2017

How to Make 2018 an Epic Year

As we look back on the past year we have so much to be grateful for! The podcast just surpassed 5.9 million total downloads and we’d like to thank all of our wonderful listeners. You guys are the best!

I was able to run the Jackson Hole Marathon in Wyoming, Mount Desert Island Marathon in Maine, Rehoboth Beach Marathon in Delaware, and a local 5k with my boys. I also started meditating every day -which has been the single biggest positive change I made in 2017.

In 2018 I plan on continuing to mediate, do regular core training, and try to collect more marathons in new states. I’ll be running the Grandma’s Marathon in June and more races are in the works.

Trevor ran the Go! St. Louis Half, the Flying Pig Marathon in Ohio, the Munich Marathon in Germany, and the Harrisburg Half in Pennsylvania. He also managed to get to Mardi Gras, Death Valley, Podcast Movement Conference, Disneyland, and Oktoberfest (two in Germany and one in the States).

Our biggest change in 2017 was selling our house and moving to Pennsylvania, which now puts us closer to family. Your browser does not support the audio element.

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