A Historic Year In The Marathon

It may be recency bias as the fall marathon season just wrapped up, but it doesn’t seem outrageous to say that 2023 was one of the wildest years in the history of the event. Half a decade into the super shoe era we are still adjusting to its impacts, but the influence on the record books is clear. On the women’s side, 2023 saw seven of the fastest 14 marathons in history, highlighted by Tigist Assefa’s two minute and 11 second improvement on the world record, followed up two weeks later by Sifan Hassan also running under the previous record in just her second career marathon (and second World Major win).

Hassan particularly has turned the rules of marathoning upside down. At the London Marathon, in her debut at the distance, she forgot to tape up a quad injury the morning of the race, had to stop several times during the race to stretch it out, and still kicked past one of the most dominant fields ever assembled for the win. For her encore, Hassan won the Chicago Marathon, cutting nearly five minutes off her personal best, just six weeks after an unprecedented triple (well… unprecedented for anyone but her) at the World Championships in Budapest, where she fell just a few meters short of medaling in the 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m.

We also saw the world record topped on the men’s side – with both world records falling in the same year for the first time since 2003. Overall we saw four of the top ten times ever run for the men, including two historic performances by Kelvin Kiptum, the latter of which broke Eliud Kipchoge’s 2022 world record before we were even able to wrap our minds around it. Kiptum became the first runner in history to close the second half or a marathon in under an hour, and he did it on two separate occasions! Did we mention he’s been racing the distance for barely over a year? The 24-year-old has officially set his sights on a legal sub-two hour marathon next year, and as of right now it seems foolish to bet against Kiptum running any time he sets his mind to.

We also saw both one of the most anticipated marathon debuts in quite some time in Joshua Cheptegei – although the result fell short of expectations – and the final marathon of an all-time great, with the London Marathon serving as a fitting farewell for Mo Farah.

One of the most fun stories in the sport this year happened just this month, as noted marathon junkie CJ Albertson won the California International Marathon in 2:11:09 on December 3rd, and followed it up just seven days later by going down to Mexico and winning another marathon in 2:11:08, the rationale for which he explained on the CITIUS MAG podcast a few weeks back. In a time where most elite marathoners race just twice a year, Albertson’s two wins in a week is a different kind of impressive feat over 26.2.

Just for fun I looked at all 484* athletes who ran under 2:11:30 in the marathon this year (yes, that is my idea of fun**), and isolated the 173 – including CJ – who ran under that mark more than once. Albertson was one of only ten athletes to win multiple marathons under 2:11:30 this year, and the shortest amount of time between races for any of the other nine was seven weeks, not seven days. In all, Albertson was one of only four athletes this year to run under 2:11:30 twice with four or fewer weeks in between, and astonishingly he wasn’t the only one to do so on just a week's rest (shoutout to Ethiopia’s Gebru Redahgne). The fact that Albertson trains and races differently than all of his counterparts makes him easy to root for, and a name to watch at the U.S Olympic Marathon Trials in February – which have created their own whirlwind of headlines this year.

*I used World Athletics data, which doesn’t include uncertified races – like CIM – so there is a chance that some of these numbers are slightly off, but the point remains the same

**If I hadn’t done this research, I never would have found out that 38-year-old Shunjin Yin ran 13 marathons this year, only one of which was slower than 2:20.

Year of the Upset

The biggest upset on the track in 2023 was inarguably Jakob Ingebrigtsen suffering his only loss of the year to Josh Kerr in the 1500m final in the World Championships. As it happened it was impossible not to get flashbacks of Jake Wightman passing Ingebrigtsen in the same fashion last year in Eugene. It must be the most frustrating trend for Ingebrigtsen as the only three losses he has had over distances of 1500m or more in the last two years have each been at global championships (including 2022 World Indoor Championships). That wasn’t the only major upset of the year, however.

Back in February, Letesenbet Gidey was the overwhelming favorite to take home the World Cross Country title in Bathurst all the way up until she collapsed within sight of the finish line. In a similar fashion, Sifan Hassan fell just meters short of 10,000m gold in Budapest, as did her country-woman Femke Bol in the anchor leg of the mixed 4x400m relay, allowing the underdog American team to win in world record fashion. Those are the types of falls that happen once every few years in track and field and are remembered forever, and it happened three times in 2023! Reigning 100m World Champion Fred Kerley was memorably upset by not even making the final of the event in Budapest this year. Even Faith Kipyegon, who had one of the most incredible years we have ever seen, was not immune to the upset bug as she lost as the overwhelming favorite in the mile at the inaugural World Road Running Championships.

Other notable upsets in 2023

• Cravont Charleston winning the 100m at USAs as an unsponsored athlete.
• Kenneth Rooks coming back to win the 3000m steeplechase at USAs after falling earlier in the race.
• Krissy Gear preventing Emma Coburn from winning her ninth consecutive USA steeplechase title.
• Mondo Duplantis recording his lowest finish in a competition since 2021 (4th).
• Canadian Ethan Katzberg winning the hammer throw world title by throwing further than his personal best by more than a full meter in all six rounds.
• Laulauga Tausaga-Collins improving her personal best by more than four meters in the fifth round to win the discus final at Worlds.
• Rasheed Broadbell coming into Budapest with the world lead in the 110m hurdles and falling in the first round.
• Athing Mu coming into USAs with a 1500m PB of 4:16 and running 4:03 for second place in the final.
• Sha’Carri Richardson winning the 100m world title from lane nine.
• Daniele Williams winning 100m hurdles world gold despite being just the tenth fastest woman this year headed into the competition.
• Maia Ramsden winning the NCAA Outdoor 1500m title while heavy favorite Katelyn Tuohy fell to seventh over the final stretch.
• Quincy Hall winning the bronze medal in the 400m at Worlds in his first year at the event.

World Records Galore

As pointed out in the Lap Count earlier this week, 2023 saw 19 world records, and that doesn't even include several other world bests in events that are not World Athletics certified. Some of the records represented a total obliteration of the previous mark, including Faith Kipyegon in the mile, Tigist Assefa in the marathon, and Gudaf Tsegay in the 5,000m. As we look forward and times continue to fall, we will approach some massive barriers that used to seem impossible. Within a year we may see the first sub-two hour clocking in an official marathon, the first women’s 5000m under 14 minutes, and according to Ryan Crouser, a shot put throw over 24m.

Excitingly in the women’s 5000m, the bigger question is not when the 14 minute barrier will fall, but who will be the first to do it? 2023 saw five of the six fastest marks of all time, including Faith Kipyegon and Letesenbet Gidey dueling in Paris, and Beatrice Chebet holding onto the blazing speed of Gudaf Tsegay for all but the last kilometer of her record breaking run. And don’t count out Sifan Hassan, who moved into the top ten all time at the distance this year. Another barrier that we probably won’t see this coming year, but may not be too far off? The four minute mile for women is closer than you think.

In addition to the world records, 2023 saw enormous depth in some events. We had 19 different sub-3:30 performances for men in the 1500m, more than twice the previous record. We have already talked about the depth across the 5000m and marathon on both sides, but how about sprints? 20 different men ran under 20 seconds in the 200m this year, an all time record. In the women’s 100m hurdles, seven different women ran under 12.40, for reference the record before last year was just two women. The depth of these events create parity at the top of the sport, which makes each and every one of these events appointment viewing leading up to Paris next year.

Confusing Year for the AIU

Just a month before the World Championships kicked off in August, defending 100m hurdles world champion Tobi Amusan was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for missing drug tests. After an accelerated appeal Amusan was cleared to race in Budapest just two days before the games started. Case closed right? Wrong. The AIU appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and we haven't heard anything since. A similar situation occurred with 2022 steeplechase world champ Norah Jeruto, who was suspended back in April of this year, but wasn’t cleared until November – causing her to miss out on a chance to defend her title – with no clear reason for the discrepancy.

There were a number of other notable suspensions levied by the AIU this year, ranging from the longest distances in the sport to the shortest. In the marathon, Ethiopian Tsehay Gemuchu – who became the eighth fastest woman in history at this year’s Tokyo Marathon – and Titus Ekiru – who entered the year as the sixth fastest marathoner of all time – were suspended, with the latter receiving a ten year sentence. The biggest bombshell that the AIU dropped this year, however, happened when newly minted high school 100m record holder Issam Asinga was provisionally banned just a week before he was expected to represent Suriname at the World Championships. Notably, no news has come out since regarding the 18-year-old’s case, leaving the Texas A&M commit’s future in jeopardy.

The most bizarre drug testing story of 2023 however is one that did not make waves globally. At this year’s Delhi State Athletics Championships, seven of the eight men scheduled to race the 100m final refused to run when drug testing protocols were announced for the meet. The one athlete that remained ran and criticized the others for shirking the race, but in a wild twist, he ended up testing positive after his “win.” It’s a story so ironic that it seems scripted. Here's hoping that the AIU makes fewer headlines in 2024.

Big Changes At The Bowerman Track Club

The Bowerman Track Club has been a staple of professional running for nearly two decades. The club has produced a U.S. Champion every year since 2010, but that streak may be coming to an end soon. Over the past three years, BTC has undergone a lot of change and more than a dozen departures. The most recent departures this fall included new addition Cooper Teare, and arguably their most successful athletes over the past few years in Grant Fisher and Elise Cranny. The club isn’t dead yet, recently adding new members, including NCAA Cross Country champion Charles Hicks, two-time NCAA 3000m steeplechase runner-up Duncan Hamilton, and Canadian Olympian Justyn Knight, as well as receiving public statements of loyalty from a number of current members.