LetsRun.com's Track Talk: The Home of Running and Track and Field

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EPISODE SUMMARY

Sara Hall talks to Jonathan Gault ahead of her fifth Boston Marathon to discuss her new memoir, For the Love of the Grind (buy here on Amazon, here to support independent booksellers) Hall opens up about writing the book herself, her use of magic mushrooms before setting the American half marathon record, and the emotional toll of Ruth Chepngetich's positive doping test on her own career. She also talks about adoption, motherhood, training on the StairMaster as a secret weapon, and why she's still racing five marathons in six months at age 42. Hall's goal for Boston: crack the top 10.

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For the Love of the Grind ( buy here on Amazon , here to support independent booksellers )

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00:00 Start

00:23 Introduction

01:09 Sara Hall on Writing Her Memoir

03:17 The Writing Process

05:56 Why Write the Book Now

07:56 John Ball: The Quirky Body Work Guru

10:10 Choosing Stanford on a Half Scholarship

12:46 Magic Mushrooms and the Half Marathon Record

17:32 Adoption, Motherhood, and Identity

20:21 Ruth Chepngetich and the Toll of Doping

24:10 The StairMaster as a Secret Weapon

27:15 Five Marathons in Six Months

29:19 Training at 9,000 Feet and Lessons From Ethiopia

31:09 Still Racing at 43: Longevity and the Love of the Grind

32:59 What Drives Sara Now and Boston Goals

35:36 Supporters Club and Outro

Contact Us

Email: [email protected]

Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running. The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.

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Gout Gout electrified Australian athletics with a 19.67 in the 200 meters, but was a swirling diagonal wind behind the eye-popping times? The crew breaks down why every finalist PR'd and what it really means. Cam Myers joined ultra-rare company with a 3:29 wire-to-wire 1500, while the women's 1500 DQ reversal sparked a fiery debate about obstruction rules and whether track and field needs instant replay. Jackson Spencer dropped an 8:31 meet record at Arcadia, LA 2028 ticket prices have fans in sticker shock, and the Supporters Club gets an exclusive interview with 17-year-old world indoor champion Cooper Lutkenhaus.https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe

LINKS

Sam Mattis Takes Down Ben Plucknett's Steroid-Fueled AR

'Fake Conspiracy Theory' Over Gout Gout's 200m World Record (news.com.au)

Jackson Spencer's Final 200m at Arcadia (video)

First Look at LA 2028 Olympic Ticket Prices (LetsRun Forum) https://www.letsrun.com/forum

VPN deal — https://www.letsrun.com/vpn

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Supporters Club

00:33 Music

00:56 Intro and Episode Preview

06:52 Gout Gout Runs 19.67 at Australian Championships

08:10 Did Wind Give Gout Gout a Hidden Advantage?

12:49 Why 200m Wind Gauges Can Be Misleading

20:08 Historic Sprint Anomalies From Flo-Jo to Tobi Amusan

24:49 Cam Myers' 3:29 Wire-to-Wire 1500 Stunner

29:29 Is Myers' Front-Running Strategy a Threat to Ingebrigtsen?

33:41 Hollingsworth DQ Overturned in Women's 1500 Controversy

36:12 Track and Field Desperately Needs Video Replay

37:34 Who Should Be DQ'd: Hull or Hollingsworth?

39:47 Was Hull's Inside Block Legal or Obstruction?

45:48 Weldon's Verdict: No DQ for Jess Hull

49:14 Jakob vs Hull: Is Shutting the Door a Legal Move?

54:49 Ingebrigtsen Won't Race Until July

55:57 Jackson Spencer's 8:31 Meet Record at Arcadia Invitational

61:09 LA 2028 Olympic Tickets: Sticker Shock and Outrage

63:36 How Expensive Will the Olympics Really Be?

71:22 Is the Olympics Worth It or Should You Just Go to Worlds?

75:21 Breaking News: Diana Rossini Out at The Athletic

76:15 Boston Marathon Preview and Supporters Club Meetup

77:57 Cooper Lutkenhaus: World Indoor Champion at 17

80:15 Winning World Indoors: Tactics and Confidence

87:42 Life as a 17-Year-Old Professional Runner

92:52 World Champion in the High School Hallways

99:05 Outdoor Season Plans and Diamond League Debut

103:53 Dream Venues and Racing Where Rudisha Set His Record

106:27 World Indoors Final: The Decisive Move With 200 to Go

109:21 Outdoor Goals and the Sub-Four Mile Race Against His Brother

113:26 World Under-20s, USA Outdoors, and What's Next

117:16 Jim Ryun Comparisons and Why 800m Times Are So Fast

CONTACT

Email: [email protected]

Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running. The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.

Oregon's Simeon Birnbaum joins the LetsRun.com Track Talk podcast after off a breakout NCAA indoor season. The former South Dakota high school phenom - who left the high school ranks #2 all-time at 1500 & 3200/2-mile - finished second in the NCAA indoor 3,000m and reveals the tactical mistake that cost him the title. Birnbaum says the Habtom Samuel DQ was "pretty soft" and discusses how running fast means nothing, all that matters is winning titles. He opens up about choosing Jerry Schumacher over other programs, the injuires that derailed his early college career, Schumacher's strict no-Strava policy, the NIL landscape for track athletes, and why he picked Diadora over Nike.

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Timestamps

0:00 Start

2:43 Birnbaum's Breakthrough NCAA Season

3:18 What Cost Him The NCAA 3,000 Title

6:05 Birnbaum On The Habtom Samuel DQ

8:54 Balancing Oregon Travel And Classes

10:51 Outdoor Goals: NCAA Titles In The 1500 And 5,000

13:01 Long-Term Goals And LA 2028

13:33 Why He Chose Oregon And Jerry Schumacher

18:35 Adjusting To Jerry Schumacher's Training

20:39 How He Finally Stayed Healthy

27:28 NIL Deals And Choosing Diadora Over Nike

32:02 The Sunglasses Origin Story

Email: [email protected]

Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

About The LetsRun.com Podcast

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running. The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.

🏃 Have you thought about joining the best club in running? The LetsRun.com Supporters Club Join the LetsRun.com Supporters Club for the bonus podcast, premium content, a free running shirt, and special event perks. Sign up at https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe

Jonathan Gault and Robert Johnson break down Jane Hedengren's astonishing 10,000m collegiate record and debate whether the hype around her long-term medal prospects is getting ahead of reality. They also react to Sha'Carri Richardson's season-opening win at the Stawell Gift, dig into World Athletics' plan to remove the marathon from the World Championships, and examine Jimmy Gressier's rebound, Botswana's sprint surge, and the latest Michael Norman what-ifs before closing with an interview featuring Oregon star Simeon Birnbaum at 63:08.

🎁 🎧 Get a 2nd LetsRun podcast every week + bonus content: Join the Supporters Club — https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe

LINKS

LetsRun.com newsletter

LetsRun.com Supporters Club

LetsRun.com 2026 April Fools’ Page

Irish Times Writeup About Our April Fools’ Page

Chat GPT Can’t Record Mile Times

Video: Rojo Says Usain Bolt Did Not False Start In Berlin - Yohan Blake Did

Jonathan Gault Tweet About Sha’Carri / Sprint Expert Nat

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro Music

00:22 Newsletter And Episode Intro

05:30 Jane Hedengren's 10,000m Record And Ceiling Debate

17:41 Who Is America's Best Women's 10,000m Runner?

21:29 Alicia Monson Update And The Medal Standard

26:58 Sha'Carri Richardson Returns At The Stawell Gift

36:39 World Athletics Splits Off The Marathon Championships

47:37 Jimmy Gressier's Rebound And Botswana Sprint Buzz

53:15 Michael Norman, Quincy Wilson, And Sprint What-Ifs

60:18 Supporters Club Pitch And Boston Preview

63:08 Simeon Birnbaum Interview Begins

65:28 Birnbaum's Breakthrough NCAA Season

66:03 What Cost Him The NCAA 3,000 Title

68:50 Birnbaum On The Hampton Samuel DQ

71:41 Balancing Oregon Travel And Classes

73:37 Outdoor Goals: NCAA Titles In The 1500 And 5,000

75:47 Long-Term Goals And LA 2028

76:18 Why He Chose Oregon And Jerry Schumacher

81:22 Adjusting To Jerry Schumacher's Training

83:25 How He Finally Stayed Healthy

CONTACT

Email: [email protected] Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running. The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.

Like this pocast? Join the Supporters Club today! This podcast was out 3 days ago for Supporters Club members. Join our club. Money back guarantee, bonus podcasts, exclusive content. https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe?from=public

Josh Kerr is going after one of the most historic world records in the sport, Hicham El Guerrouj's mile world record. After winning his second straight World Indoor 3000m title in Torun, Kerr sat down with LetsRun.com to lay out his plan to break the 27-year-old mark of 3:43.13 at the London Diamond League on July 18th. He wants a negative split, he's picking his own pacers, and he's not moving the race if it rains. Kerr talks race field politics, whether Cole Hocker or Jakob Ingebrigtsen could crash the party, the mile vs. 1500 debate, his bicarb usage, the rise of Western milers, and what it would mean to join Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, and Steve Cram as a British mile world record holder. Plus: Danny Mackey, Brooks Beasts, and Josh's daily trainer pick, the Brooks Glycerin 23 and the workout shoe: Brooks Hyperion Elite

LINKS

Josh Kerr's Mile World Record Announcement

Josh Wins World 3000 over Cole Hocker

Hicham El Guerrouj's Mile World Record (3:43.13, 1999)

Brooks Glycerin 23

Brooks Hyperion Elite

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Music

00:33 Intro and Welcome

02:25 World Indoor 3000m Race Tactics

05:18 How Satisfying Was the World Indoor Title

07:23 Bouncing Back and Building for 2025

09:10 The Mile World Record Announcement

12:39 Weather Worries and Why London

15:17 Who Gets to Race and the Business of Running

19:13 Pacing Strategy and Negative Splits

23:09 Biggest Rival and the Golden Age of the Mile

25:26 British Mile Legacy and Chasing History

28:50 Mile vs 1500: Which Record Is Harder

33:50 Bicarb and the Rise of Western Runners

36:37 Danny Mackey, Jakob, and Looking Ahead

41:52 Shoe Picks: Glycerin and Hyperion