With the Olympic Trials less than two weeks away, I thought I would take a quick look at where we're at. First a word on doping which once again seems to lead the discussion. Doping This sport just CAN'T seem to get away from the issue of doping! Ben Johnson (1988) opened the door to sub 9.80 in the 100, and to an open conversation on doping! It took until 2002 and BALCO before that conversation became loud - though many wanted to pretend it was an American problem - despite all evidence to the contrary Read More...
The CHill Zone of T&F: Conway's View From the Finish Line
Prefontaine & NCAA Regionals – WOW
May 30th, 2016
5:27 pm PDT
5:27 pm PDT
The Pre Classic is the best meet on US soil annually - if not one of the best period outside of a major championship. This year was no different as we saw two American records, among outstanding performance after outstanding performance. And while the Regionals lacked the depth and excitement of a big meet, there was much to learn on the way to Rio Read More...
A Month From the Trials
May 23rd, 2016
7:03 am PDT
7:03 am PDT
We're about a month away from the Trials and the crystal ball is still pretty murky! Usually I have a pretty good idea how the Trials are going to go by now, but so many elites have been quiet - especially the distance crowd. This may be one of the most surprising Trials in awhile. The colleges have yet to have their Regionals and Nationals - those will take place in the next two weeks Read More...
How to Win the 4×1 in Rio!
Feb 8th, 2016
11:27 am PST
11:27 am PST
It's one thing to be dominated in the sprints by an athlete like Usain Bolt, but during the same time span we've seen a comedy of horrors take place in what was also an American staple - the 4x1 relay. The American men haven't won a 4x1 in a major since 2007 - approaching nearly a decade! This is tragic, and the first step to righting this ship in my opinion, is to admit FAILURE and move on Read More...
What to Watch in 2016
Jan 12th, 2016
1:24 pm PST
1:24 pm PST
Olympic years are always exciting for sports fans because that global showcase will take place this summer. That means we will see the best that track and field (among other sports) has to offer - the best athletes competing head to head. Sad that I can't say that in any other year, but unfortunately we don't get this type of competition in any other year with any regularity Read More...
Beijing Review
Sep 2nd, 2015
7:05 pm PDT
7:05 pm PDT
The Beijing World Championships are over and if you're a fan of the sport you were pleased with the competition. When Worlds first began back in 1983 it was all about a handful of nations - Britain, Germany, Soviet Union, and United States, with everyone else as filler. Now we see gold medal performances from Kenya, Ethiopia, China, Jamaica, Netherlands, South Africa, and Eritrea among others winning medals all over the globe! That's great for the global brand of track and field Read More...
Bolt v Gatlin – Who Will Win Beijing?
Aug 17th, 2015
7:50 am PDT
7:50 am PDT
Beijing is going to bear witness to one of the greatest sprinting showdowns in history when Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin take to the track - first in the 100, then hopefully again in the 200. It's the thing that makes this sport great when it happens - a great head to head matchup of two of the best of all time Read More...
It’s Beijing Time
Aug 14th, 2015
8:33 pm PDT
8:33 pm PDT
How times flies when you're having fun! One minute I'm watching Prefontaine, NCAA's and US Nationals and suddenly it's almost time for the World Championships. In between there have been a slew of meets streamed online. So many that I've literally had little time to just sit and absorb and comment. Youth Championships, Jr Championships, Pan Ams, European Championships (Jr & Sr) Read More...
Prefontaine was HOT!
Jun 1st, 2015
6:34 am PDT
6:34 am PDT
Once again Pre was as good a meet as any on the planet. Which begs the question, why can't we do this more often? It's a rhetorical question of course, because the simple answer is MONEY! It takes a boat load of money to put on a quality meet these days, and who has that kind of money laying around? Yes, Eugene touts itself as "Track Town USA", but let's be real - it's in Nike's back yard! Nuff said Read More...
World Championships Review–Individuals Pt1
Aug 27th, 2013
9:22 pm PDT
9:22 pm PDT
Now for the fun part, looking at individual performances - and there were certainly some very good ones. First however, let's get a bit of perspective by taking a look at medal counts. The double digit medal earners: United States 25 total, 6 gold, 14 silver, 5 bronze. Russia 17 total, 7 gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze Kenya 12 total, 5 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze Ethiopia 10 total, 3 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze As expected Russians performed well at home Read More...