AtoZrunner updates: Congrats to Andrew on his 3rd in AG half marathon and Karl on his 5k PR in his 4 mile race last week. 

#1. USATF Cross Country Championships

• Women’s results
  • Winning her first national title as a pro was previous podcast guest Alicia Monson of OAC running a time of 34:01 over Weini Kelati by 17.
  • 3rd was Emily Durgin
  • Following Emily were Stephanie Bruce and previous guest Natosha Rogers in 6th.
• Men’s results
  • The theme of the men’s national championships this year has been a sprint-to-the finish battle.
  • Winning that battle in this cross country championship was Shadrack Kipchirchir and on his heels were Dillon Maggard and previous guest Sam Chelanga (who has been in almost all the battles). 
  • Leonard Korir was 4th and upcoming podcast guest Benard Keter (steeplechase Olympian) was 6th place.

#2. Aleksandr Sorokin broke two world records in one 12-hour race

(As reported by Canadian Running)

• Spartanion 12-hour race in Israel on January 6th
• Aleksandr Sorokin, who goes by Sania, broke both his 100mi and 12-hour record in this single, astounding effort
• He ran 100 miles in 10 hours, 51 minutes, 39 seconds, 23 minutes better than his own previous record
• In 12 hours, he ran 110 miles (177 kilometers), amounting to 4.2 miles further than his previous record (and by the same metric as the 100 mi: around 28 minutes better)
• He averaged about 6:30/mile (fun face from Canadian Running: that means he ran 35 5ks in a row in 20:15)
• Backstory (from Canadian Running):
  • Sorokin broke the 24hr record back in August, 2021, running 192.25 miles (309.4k)
  • He also holds the record for 150 kilometres (10:27:48)
  • He is 40 years old and started running at age 32
  • He began running because he wanted to lose weight. Said Sorokin, “I began running to get in shape when I weighed 100 kg (220 lb.). At the time I wasn’t playing any sports, just drinking and smoking a lot.”
  • After a half marathon only months into the endeavor, he heard about 100k and dove right in.

#3. Carrie Verdon’s fascinating comeback

(As published by Fast Women on January 5th)

• Carrie Verdon was an instant stud in high school, finishing 11th at Cali states as a freshman and state champ junior and senior year as well as 19th at a Footlocker XC Nationals
• Went to Colorado in college and continued success initially, but started waffling sophomore year
• Injury issues after that, and graduated in 2017 unsatisfied
• Running for Lee Troop in Boulder, she put together a string of healthy years and stomped back into the picture in 2020 with a 32:09 10k, a nearly 2-minute PR, and in 2021 a 15:18 5k (41-second PR) and a finalist at the USA Olympic Trials in the 5k. 
• In the fall, she finished 7th in the blazing hot Chicago Marathon in her debut (running 2:31)
• Verdon was also 9th at the recent USATF Cross Country Championship
• “it clicked for her that the most important thing was to be healthy, so she could train, compete, and continue to do everything she loves”

Bonus: 

Previous Podcast guest, Brittany Charboneau (Creativity on the run) won the 5k, 10k, half and full marathon at 2022 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 4 straight days of the Dopey Challenge! All in costume. She won the 5K dressed as Elsa from “Frozen” and the 10K as Bing Bong from “Inside Out.” For the half marathon, she led the pack as Joy, another character from “Inside Out.” She crossed the finish line for the full marathon as Cruella de Vil from the “101 Dalmatians.”

Interested in a training plan and/or coaching? We offer personalized support to help you achieve your goals!

KEEP LISTENING