As the Twenty Teens come to their conclusion, we join others in looking back at the decade now passing.  Below is the list of top posts on this blog from the last ten years (though the blog only began in early 2011).  Nevertheless, these are the posts that garnered the most reads over the nine years, beginning with Meb Keflezighi‘s miraculous win at the 2014 Boston Marathon one year after the horrific bombings at the finish line scarred the great event like nothing before and hopefully nothing to come.

2014 BOSTON ANALYSIS – 23 April 2014 – Meb’s Miracle win dissected from inside the chase pack.
DUMBING DOWN, SLOWING DOWN – 16 September 2013 – Reducing educational standards reflected in the reduction of competition in sports.
PERILOUS PEAK OF PERFECTION – 24 October 2013 – It is this perilous peak of perfection that keeps driving athletes to set new standards, standards that seem to break the Americans down before they ever get to the race. site.
BIG 3 DOWN TO 1 – March 17, 2015 – When Dathan Ritzenhein, Alan Webb, and Ryan Hall met at the 2000 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in Orlando, Florida, America’s running fans were all but salivating at the prospect of what lie ahead, not just in Orlando, but in the careers to come.
WHEN THE SHOE DOESN’T FIT ANYMORE – 26 February 2014 – USATF Indoor Nationals – due to the current organizational structure and sponsorship arrangements of USATF, once again we saw the fuse of unrest only needing a minor spark to ignite a major controversy.
COMPETITOR GROUP PULLS THE PLUG ON ELITE RACING – 1 September 2013 – CGI’s entire North American elite athlete program was terminated, including the professional Grand Prix and the invited elite field for upcoming 36th Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon September 15th, an important final tune-up for the fall major marathon season.
THE RIVALRY CONTINUES – DEFAR OVER DIBABA IN ZURICH – 30 August 2013 – The most anticipated race of the evening was the 5000-meter showdown between former Ethiopian teen queens turned Olympic icons, Tirunesh Dibaba and Meseret Defar, the two most decorated women distance runners of their generation.
MARY CAIN – CHIN UP, SHOULDERS BACK, CAN’T LOSE – 6 February 2013 – Cain smashed the 21-year old U.S. high school indoor 2-mile record by 17-seconds (9:38.68). In all, another fabulous performance for the 16-year-old high school junior who continues her assault on the all-time U.S. high school record book.
DEAR NICK SYMMONDS – 4 October 2011 – “These asinine rules have been created by our governing bodies USATF and IAAF and are crippling our sport by preventing the flow of dollars into it.”
PASSING OF A HERO – 16 January 2013 – Two-time Olympic high jump medalist John Thomas of Brockton, Massachusetts passed away Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at the age of 71.
BOSTON 2014 – SMALL WORLD, WONDERFUL WORLD – 25 April 2014 – John & Karen Odom, Forever Boston Strong
VERZBICAS CONTINUES COMEBACK IN CARLSBAD – 7 April 2013 – former high school sensation Lukas Verzbicas, he of the sub-4:00 high school mile fame, was continuing his comeback from a horrific cycling accident last summer in Colorado Springs.
“I AM SAMMY WANJIRU!” – 16 May 2011 – It was a long 22-hours back from Oslo to San Diego yesterday, only to hear of the tragic passing of the 2008 Olympic marathon champion Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya upon my landing.
RELENTLESS SHALANE WINS IN NEW YORK CITY – 5 November 2017 – Today, it happened in New York City, as Shalane Flanagan bested three-time defending champion Mary Keitany of Kenya on a misty, gray autumn day that will forevermore be limned in gold.

NEW OLYMPIC ENTRY STANDARDS

Across the board, 100 meters to 50K walk and field events, the standards for Tokyo 2020 are significantly stricter than for Rio 2016. 

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An interesting mix of stories, for sure.  As always, there was plenty to rouse our passions, both positive and negative, as the sport continues to engage its many followers and practitioners.  As we enter this new decade, I want to thank all who read this blog.  And now it is onward to the (hopefully) Roaring Twenties.  Happy New Year and New Decade to all.

Toni Reavis

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