The news desk
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Three men in the Chicago Marathon field have run close to Conner Mantz's American record of 2:04:43, and one has gone faster on a course that does not count. Emily Sisson's 2:18:29 mark faces a bigger challenge, though a debutant with a 1:06:23 half marathon believes she is in 2:20 shape.
Jacob Kiplimo, the defending Chicago Marathon champion, ran 2:00:28 in London in April. Beating Sabastian Sawe's 1:59:30 marathon world record on Sunday would require finding another 59 seconds on a morning forecast to start in the low 60s.
Garmin announced the Enduro 4, now on preorder and untested, while the Enduro 3 remains available and the Forerunner 55 is retired but still sold. Runner's World picks the $349.99 Forerunner 170 Music for most runners, the Forerunner 55 for new runners, and the Forerunner 970 for those beyond running.
A tester logged more than 600 miles in six running shoes from lesser-known brands, detailing each model's strengths and weaknesses. The alphabetical selection highlights price, novelty, quality, and niche appeal as ways upstart brands differentiate themselves. The tester ran much of his 70-mile weeks in these shoes.
American elite runner Emma Grace Hurley will make her marathon debut at the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 11, after a 2026 season that included a 1:06:23 half marathon personal best and sixth place at the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen. She says watching the 2022 New York City Marathon finish first made her fear the distance.
Prime Day deals cover athlete gear bought alongside a watch, including Shokz and Bose open-ear headphones, Theragun and Bob and Brad massage guns, Science in Sport gels, Owala and Stanley bottles, and Anker chargers. The roundup comes from the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication.
Amazon's October Prime Day ends tonight, with Garmin deals still live on the Fenix, Epix, Forerunner, Instinct, Venu and Edge. Prices are listed for the USA, UK and Germany. The5krunner is an independent endurance sports technology publication covering GPS watches, fitness trackers and cycling computers since 2010.
Dan England finished the 2026 Taco Bell 50K in Denver on October 3, eating one menu item at 10 different Taco Bells over 50 kilometers in 88-degree heat. About 1,200 runners started the race, which has a DNF rate above 60%, and puking means disqualification.
Jacob Kiplimo enters the 2026 Chicago Marathon as the heavy favorite in the men’s field. LetsRun’s preview names six contenders for the title, none of them American, and asks whether anyone can stop Kiplimo.
LRC intern Brendan Gomez offers 10 thoughts on the 2026 NCAA cross country season and Friday's Nuttycombe Invitational. The primer highlights impressive runs from the Alabama and New Mexico men, questions surrounding the Iowa State women, and rebuilds at Stanford and Arizona.
Spain’s snap election, set by Pedro Sánchez for Nov. 29, forced the Seville Half-Marathon to move from that morning to Dec. 13, when a record 24,500 runners had been due to start. Entrants unable to make the new date have until Oct. 20 to defer.
New York Road Runners unveiled the 2026 New York City Marathon medal, a gold-finished design wrapping a sculpted city skyline around the course's five bridges. The medal has grown to 3.5 inches wide for the 50th anniversary of the five-borough race.
A Dutch appeals court ruled an employee was wrongly fired for running a marathon while on sick leave and ordered his former employer to pay over €60,000 ($67,000). The worker ran 3:27:58 in Rotterdam while signed off with myasthenia gravis.
Jacob Kiplimo is listed in the 2026 Chicago Marathon elite field as the defending champion. He has reached the podium in all three of his marathons and arrives with a 2:00:28 personal best, seven seconds faster than the Chicago course record.
Two-time Boston Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi is entered in the 2026 Chicago Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 11, where she will run a flat marathon for the first time. Her 2:17:22 course record from 2025 remains her personal best.
Brigid Kosgei is set to return to the Chicago Marathon for the first time since her 2019 world record there, according to the announced 2026 elite field. The two-time Chicago champion brings the fastest personal best in the women's field and a course record from Tokyo in March.
Rachel Entrekin, second at this year's UTMB 170K, said she skipped workouts and relied on volume and vert, and sports science journalist Alex Hutchinson backed that approach for long mountain races. Entrekin ran the UTMB course repeatedly, covering nearly 10,000 metres of elevation, and set the overall course record at the Cocodona 250. She said speedwork is just one tool and can be counterproductive if it prevents recovery for volume.
McDonald’s will give away two-ounce bottles of its new Pickle Boost pickle juice to runners and spectators at the 48th annual Chicago Marathon on Sunday, expected to draw more than 55,000 participants. Pickle Boost will also be offered at a Friday Lakefront Trail preview, five city McDonald’s locations on race day, and pit stops at miles 2, 3, 9, 11 and 23. McDonald’s announced no nationwide rollout; the bottles are a Chicago-only experiment.
Reesor 50, held at Historic Reesor Ranch near Maple Creek, Sask., returns May 21-23, 2027, with a 50-miler, mountain marathon, two 10Ks and a Friday-night 5K. Organizers Jeff and Warren Dudar added a Saturday 10K as the junior provincial trail and mountain running championship qualifier, and the combined $10,000 prize purse returns with equal men's and women's money. Registration opened Oct. 1.
Taper week should reduce training load so fatigue dissipates and runners reach the start line rested, not restless. Keep sleep, easy movement, light foam rolling or massage, normal meals and hydration familiar, and avoid new supplements, aggressive stretching, deep-tissue massage or first-time heat and cold protocols. Compression boots and garments are optional, not proven last-minute performance enhancers.
The WMRA Mountain Running World Cup will hold its 2026 final at Défi des Couleurs in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, on Oct. 10-11, the first time the series has visited Canada and the first final outside Europe. The MSA Uphill is a 5K with 770 meters of climbing, and the Classic Up & Down covers 15 km with 1,214 meters of ascent and descent. Several top Kenyan runners were still awaiting Canadian visas.
The run/walk method, created by coach Jeff Galloway in 1976 as the Galloway Method, has runners keep a run/walk interval ratio through training and on race day, with walk breaks typically around 30 seconds. Runner's World offers run/walk plans from six to 26 weeks for 5K through marathon, plus a Runner's World+ program on mastering the method.
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days ends today with discounts on editor-tested marathon gear, including the Nike Revolution 8 at nearly 30 percent off its usual $75 and the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 at 30 percent off. Other deals include the Nathan hydration belt, Goodr sunglasses, Saucony RunDry socks, Baleaf and Sloothfeel shorts, Aquaphor, Tailwind Endurance Fuel, and Oars + Alps sunscreen, all 20 to 29 percent off.
Jacob Nur, 71, is returning to the Chicago Marathon to chase the 70-74 age-group world record of 2:54:18 set by Haeng-cheol Shin in Seoul. Nur ran 2:59:01 at the California International Marathon in December and has adjusted his training, cutting weekly mileage from 70 to 60 miles and reducing hard workouts from four to three.
Peloton's Cross Tread treadmill is 30% off for Prime Big Deal Days, priced at $2,295, down from $3,295, saving $1,000 before the sale ends tomorrow. The treadmill has a 24-inch HD touchscreen, 0–12.5 mph speed, 0–12.5% incline, auto-incline, Apple Watch and Wear OS 3+ pairing, ANT+ heart rate support, and requires a $49.99/month Peloton All-Access Membership.
Saucony's Endorphin Elite 2 racing shoe is discounted to $129.95 from $290 during Prime Big Deal Days, a 55% saving of more than $160. The carbon-plated unisex model weighs 7 oz in a men's size 10, has an 8 mm drop and 39.5 mm stack height, and remains a tester favorite for tempo efforts despite being last year's version.
Resonance frequency breathing uses a personalized slow pace, typically five to six breaths per minute, to raise heart rate variability and activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Psychologist Erin Ayala explains how runners can test their own rate with a chest strap and an app, and cites small studies linking HRV biofeedback to recovery and 5K performance.
The 2026 Chicago Marathon takes place on Sunday, October 11, with professional men and women starting at 8:30 a.m. ET. NBC 5, Telemundo Chicago, and Peacock carry live coverage, and the Chicago Marathon app offers live splits and leaderboard updates. Defending champion Jacob Kiplimo returns after running 2:00:28 in London, while Hawi Feysa defends the women's title against Brigid Kosgei.
Vinny Mauri, who ran 2:05:54 at the Glass City Marathon in April to become the fourth-fastest American marathoner on a record-eligible course, is preparing for the Chicago Marathon on October 11. In an interview, the 25-year-old describes 120-to-140-mile weeks, treadmill sessions at Planet Fitness, and part-time work at a running store.
Fractel released its limited-edition Rockies Collection, mountain-inspired trail apparel priced $65–95 and available now. The lineup includes a $95 UPF 50+ Sun Hoodie in Coolcore Tyndall recycled jersey, a $70 Coolcore Breeze recycled mesh shirt, an $80 button-up Adventure Shirt, and a $65 bucket hat, in Lyons and Meeker colorways.