Britton Wilson Is The Real Deal, Athing Mu Targets WR At Millrose Games + More
"Britton Wilson will one day beat Sydney McLaughlin over a 400m hurdle race."
On this week’s ‘This Week In Track and Field’ show, we had some records fall and really close finishes at the Houston Half. The NCAA collegiate season heated up with some fantastic sprint performances that are putting all-time lists and records on watch. Marc Scott is on the move to Kenya. We bring you a little more Millrose hype because why not + a USATF Cross Country preview.
All episodes will appear on The CITIUS MAG Podcast feed. A video version is on The CITIUS MAG YouTube channel, which you can watch above.
Here’s what you need to know:
Houston Half & Full Marathon Recap: ICYMI: Earlier this week, I sent over a full recap of the Houston Half and Marathon. In the half marathon, American runner Emily Sisson set a new American record in 1:06:52 – becoming the first American woman to break the 67-minute barrier on a record-eligible course. We had an Ethiopian sweep of the half marathon titles with Hiwot Gebremaryam winning the women's race in 66:28 and Leul Gebresilase Aleme taking the men’s side in 60:34. He beat NAZ Elite’s Wesley Kiptoo by less than a second. In the marathon, Kenyan runner Dominic Ondoro won the men's race in 2:10:36. Japan’s Hitomi Niiya won the women's marathon in 2:19:24, more than six minutes ahead of the second-place finisher.
NCAA Track and Field All-Time Lists Rewritten: Britton Wilson finished runner-up to former three-time NCAA champion Shamier Little in a blazing 1:25.16 to break Athing Mu's NCAA record of 1:25.80. Talitha Diggs threw down a 300m in 36.12, which ties her with Sydney McLaughlin for the third-fastest time in collegiate history. Georgia’s Matthew Boling clocked a 32.40 for 300m, which also makes him the third-fastest collegian of all time. Washington’s Joe Waskom ran 2:18.77 at the UW Preview meet, which is No. 3 all-time collegiately on the tracks-of-all-sizes list. Kentucky's Masai Russell grabbed a share of No. 10 on the all-time collegiate 60-meter hurdle list with a 7.88s run at her home track in Lexington. | Watch Katelyn’s rapid recap here.
Marc Scott Joins The NN Running Team: Last month, British Olympian Marc Scott announced he was leaving the Bowerman Track Club after five years with the team. In his time with the team, he ran a 12:57.08 European record in the indoor 5,000 and earned a World Indoor bronze at 3,000 meters. In an interview with The Lap Count, he shared he is shifting his focus from track to roads, where he has plans for a marathon debut in spring. He will be running for the NN Running Team, which is the same squad repped by legends Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele, and Joshua Cheptegei. He is planning to split his time between the UK and Kenya to work under coach Patrick Sang in Kaptagat.
Millrose Games Women’s 600m Field Unveiled: Reigning Olympic and World champion Athing Mu headlines the event. She will face competition from two-time Olympian and Jamaican record holder Natoya Goule, Shamier Little (who is fresh off a world-leading 1:24.65 | No. 7 all-time ever), World Indoor Championship qualifier Olivia Baker and No. 2 all-time U.S. high school 600m runner Sophia Gorriaran. Just a heads up…the world record is 1:23.44 held by Olga Kotlyarova, which has stood since 2004.
Previewing the USATF Cross Country Championships: The 2023 USATF Cross Country Championships will be held on January 21, 2023, at Pole Green Park in Richmond, VA. Spots are on the line for the World Cross Country Championships. Among the notable names entered on the women’s side are USATF 5K champion Weini Kelati, NAZ’s Stephanie Bruce, Verde Track Club’s Jessa Hanson, U.S. Army’s Ednah Kurgat and Brooks Beast’s Allie Buchalski. The U.S. Army men’s team of Leonard Korir, Sam Chelanga, Benard Keter and Anthony Rotich are favorites for Worlds spots. Dillon Maggard, Hillary Bor, Biya Simbassa and Andrew Colley are also ones to watch. USATF. TV will have the broadcast with a subscription.
INSIDE CITIUS MAG: NAU Coach Mike Smith dropped coaching wisdom on The CITIUS MAG Podcast | Molly Huddle detailed her return to racing after having a baby nine months ago | Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison shared some personal updates on their indoor season plans | We published our ‘Race Day with Very Nice Track Club’ video | Kyle wrote about why it’s OK to switch coaches
Let us know if there’s anything else we should have discussed on the show or if you agreed or disagreed with any of our takes!