World Championships Schedule and Preview
The World Championships stretch for 10 days from September 27th to October 6th in Doha, Qatar. We have 10 athletes competing across 8 events. See below for the detailed schedule (all times are Pacific).
Note: for “Where to Watch” we have included the channels on which there is scheduled to be live coverage. There will also be tape delays on certain days. You can see the full TV schedule here. In addition to TV, all action can be viewed live or on demand with the NBC Sports Gold track and field package.
Friday, September 27th
9:00am PT: Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase, Prelim
Courtney and Colleen look to qualify for Monday’s final. Courtney is defending her historic Silver medal from 2017, while Colleen would like to avenge a disqualification in the prelims from that year when she just barely stepped on the inside line.
Where to Watch: NBCSN or NBC Sports Gold
9:55am PT: Men’s 5,000m, Prelim
Moh and Marc head up the international contingent for BTC in this prelim. Fresh off a second place at the British Trials, Marc is looking to make his first World Championship final. Moh has made the final at three consecutive World or Olympic Championships.
Where to Watch: NBCSN or NBC Sports Gold
1:59pm PT: Women’s Marathon
Carrie competing in the 2018 Payton Jordan 10,000m where she ran under 32 minutes for the first time.
At 36, Carrie makes her first ever appearance at the World Championships. The BTC Elite athlete, Nike shoe designer, and mother of two has been taking more time off than usual from work and family duties to prepare for this opportunity. The marathon is the one event that can’t take place in the air conditioned stadium in Doha. The race will be at night, but it still projects to be 90 degrees. In a marathon, tough conditions mean anything could happen!
Where to Watch: Olympic Channel or NBC Sports Gold
Saturday, September 28th
11:10am PT: Women’s 10,000m, Final
Marielle competes at her second World Championships in a stacked field. Earlier this year she set a personal best at the 5,000m, but was disappointed with her lone 10,000m race at the US Championships. We think she’s primed to put it together at the longer distance.
Where to Watch: Olympic Channel coverage lasts until 11:30 and then the action switches over to NBC. You can always stream online at NBC Sports Gold.
Monday, September 30th
11:20am PT: Men’s 5,000m, Final
We know Moh is in great shape, but one question remains: will the headband make an appearance in Doha?
Moh has finished 12th, 4th, and 6th in his previous three global championships in the 5,000m. This year he became the first Canadian under 13 minutes. Can he make the jump to the podium? Marc battled through a spring injury to make his second World Championships team. How high can he finish with a little bit of experience under his belt?
Where to Watch: Olympic Channel or NBC Sports Gold
11:50am PT: Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase, Final
Courtney shocked the world with her finish in 2017, everyone will see her coming this time. Colleen has struggled with injury the past month. She’s as tough as they come and will need to be to face this challenge.
Where to Watch: Olympic Channel or NBC Sports Gold
Courtney even surprised herself at the 2017 World Championships.
Wednesday, October 2nd
7:35am PT: Women’s 1,500m, Heats
The first of hopefully three races for Shelby. The name of the game: survive and advance.
Where to Watch: NBCSN or NBC Sports Gold
8:25am PT: Women’s 5,000m, Prelim
Karissa takes to the track in her first ever World Championships with one goal: make the final.
Where to Watch: NBCSN or NBC Sports Gold
Thursday, October 3rd
12:00pm PT: Men’s 1,500m, Heats
The first of the three rounds for Matt, the master tactician. Coming off a 13:00 5,000m personal best, he’s definitely strong enough to handle the extra rounds at Worlds.
Where to Watch: NBCSN or NBC Sports Gold
1:00pm PT: Women’s 1,500m, Semi-final
The road gets a little rockier for Shelby. The 1,500m semi-finals are always tense and exciting qualifying races. This is her first World Championship appearance in the 1,500m and her tactics and kick will be tested in this round.
Where to Watch: NBCSN or NBC Sports Gold
Friday, October 4th
10:10am PT: Men’s 1,500m, Semi-final
Even the Olympic Champion has to sweat the Semi-final at this level.
Where to Watch: Olympic Channel or NBC Sports Gold
Saturday, October 5th
10:55am PT: Women’s 1,500m, Final
Shelby winning the 2018 Prefontaine Classic her first sub-4 performance.
At the last World Championships Shelby was still a 5,000m. Since then she’s won two Diamond League 1,500m’s and broken 4:00 three times. We can’t wait to see her in what will hopefully be her first 1,500m final. Don’t miss this one!
Where to Watch: Olympic Channel or NBC Sports Gold
11:25am PT: Women’s 5,000m, Final
The pace in Women’s 5,000m finals are often brutal and unforgiving. We saw Karissa handle conditions like that really well at the Prefontaine Classic. We hope to see that again!
Where to Watch: NBC or NBC Sports Gold
Sunday, October 6th
9:40am PT: Men’s 1,500m, Final
The men’s 1,500m is often chaotic and unpredictable. It’s become straightforward in the past two years as Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot has taken to making the pace hard. We know Centro can excel in a sit and kick affair and, as a 13:00 5,000m man, he’s got the strength for the long run for home. No excuse for missing this one: Sunday football doesn’t even start until 10!
Where to Watch: NBC or NBC Sports Gold
10:00am PT: Men’s 10,000m, Final
Lopez dominated the USATF 10,000m in July.
They say good things come to those who wait. We hope that’s true because Lopez is going to have to do a lot of waiting for his chance to shine in these Championships. After winning the 10,000m and the 5,000m at the US Championships and running 13:00 for 5,000m, it’s safe to say he’s in the best shape of his life. The pace in these races is often run close to 27:00, which will be a huge test. Moh already passed that test in London in 2017, when he ran the Canadian Record of 27:01. Hopefully the BTC boys can work together to handle the storm!
Where to Watch: NBC or NBC Sports Gold
Shelby and Colleen Advance to 1500m World Indoor Final
Shelby and Colleen Advance to 1500m World Indoor Final
Shelby and Colleen Seek World Dominance
Shelby and Colleen are across the pond in Birmingham, U.K. for the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Track and Field Championships. Before jetting off, they thawed out the track at Nike WHQ. Shelby will seek medals (yes, plural), as she attempts the 3k, 1500m double, while Colleen seeks redemption after finishing second (to Shelby) at USA Indoor Championships.
A week of frigid temperatures and snow had the track at Nike World Headquarters frozen solid. That is until Colleen and Shelby thawed it out with a blazing workout before jetting off to the U.K. for World Indoors. Still feeling the tough weekend of racing in their legs, Shelby and Colleen wanted to get some pop back in their strides.
Shelby was already the 3k U.S. National Champion when she took the track to race the 1500m the following day. Coming into the homestretch of the 1500m, she was in fourth, but in typical Shelby fashion, she unleashed a ferocious final 50 meters to outkick the field. Even after a dominating victory in the 1500m, Shelby thought little of the doubling at Worlds. Immediately following the 1500, when asked if she’d double at Worlds Shelby said, “I’ll probably just stick to the 3k.” That was before she talked to Jerry though.
Although the decision to double came as a surprise to Shelby, she is now just as excited about the opportunity as she is about having authentic fish and chips for the first time. Despite travelling to London last summer, Shelby was so excited to be in the land of Harry Potter that she forgot all about the famed fish and chips. One can forgive Shelby for this error as she is quite possibly the biggest Harry Potter fan in the world, even sporting a tattoo of the boy who lived on her wrist. However, now that her cravings for Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans and Butterbeer, two staple foods in the world of Harry Potter, have been filled, she is excited to finally try eating fish and chips out of a newspaper cone...after her races of course.
Shelby’s weekend begins Thursday when she takes on a loaded field in the 3k. Racing against a field that includes the likes of Genzebe Dibaba,the two time defending world champion and current indoor 3k world record holder, Hellen Obiri, the outdoor 5,000m world champion, Sifan Hassan, the reigning indoor 1500m champion, and hometown favorite Laura Muir, Shelby said, “[I] needed one, last, hard track session to wake my legs up” before heading to the U.K. If her legs were asleep during the workout, it is scary to think about what they will look like when they are awake come Thursday.
Like Shelby, Colleen looked to, “get some pop back in my legs and feel the burn,” in her last workout before heading across the pond. Not that she needs any extra motivation heading into the 1500m at World Championships. Still feasting on being outkicked down the homestretch at USAs, the workout provided Colleen a significant confidence boost. While she has no regrets about her race or how she finished, Colleen said, “I’m excited to go to Worlds with no expectations,” but also admits, “a little redemption wouldn’t be so bad.”
World Championships will quite literally be a combination of Colleen’s three loves: London, indoor track, and the 1500m. While it is no surprise London is one of Colleen’s favorite places to travel, one might be surprised that Colleen sometimes wishes she was a miler. She loves the tactics involved with the distance, which become more apparent in indoor races and even more so in championship races. While she might enter Worlds as an underdog, Colleen will be racing on fresh legs; as opposed to many of the top contenders who are running the 3k the night before.
The women’s 3k is shaping up to be the must watch distance event at Worlds, and Shelby says she is, “stoked,” that it is only a final. Her plan for Worlds is to only think about one race at a time, taking each day and race as they come. The race is likely to be tactical, like most championship races. But, given the talented field, Shelby is prepared for hot pace from the gun; and, would not mind a fast pace as she is only .76 seconds off the American Record.
Unlike the 3k, there are semi-final heats for the 1500m starting on Friday night. While both ladies are confident about advancing to the final, they are not looking past the semi-final heats by any means. It is likely the semi-finals will be sit and kick races, which Shelby and Colleen have proven they are comfortable with. While Shelby went from fourth to first in the final 100 meters of the 1500m final at USAs, Colleen showed her impressive finishing speed when she ran the mile at the Armory earlier this month. Should one or both ladies qualify, the 1500m final will take place Saturday afternoon.
While both women would be happy knowing they ran their best, we hope to see them sporting new hardware around their necks when they return. Below is a schedule of races. All races will be broadcast live on the Olympic Channel and streamed on NBC Sports Gold.
Thursday, March 1: Women’s 3k -- 3:15 p.m. EST (Shelby)
Friday, March 2: Women’s 1500m Heats -- 2:48 p.m EST (Shelby and Colleen)
Saturday, March 3: Women’s 1500m Final -- 3:39 p.m EST (TBD)
For more World Indoors coverage and full race previews, visit LetsRun.
All photos courtesy of Jordan Beckett.
Road to Worlds
Six athletes take the track this weekend at the USATF Indoor Track Championships in hopes of representing team USA at the World Indoor Track Championships.
What could be more exciting than watching hours worth of curlers sweep the ice at the Pyeongchang Olympics? Seeing BTC sweep the USATF Indoor Track Championships this weekend! Our athletes agreed (somewhat reluctantly) to exchange their curling brooms for track spikes as they seek National titles and spots on the World Team travelling to the UK in March.
This Saturday and Sunday, BTC athletes will be chasing US titles and for the opportunity to represent team USA at the World Indoor Track Championships in Birmingham, UK (March 1-4). Although not all six athletes can be named US Champions, as they will be racing against each other, there is a possibility all six will be seen dawning the USA team kit in two weeks.
In the Women’s 3,000m, Shelby--fresh off running a 15 second PR and the second fastest 3k time in US history--looks to defend her 2017 title. Marielle, who also set a 14 second PR in the same meet as Shelby, looks to continue her hot start as one of the newest members of BTC. Both women enter with the two fastest seed times, but will have to face reigning World Champion Steeplechaser, Emma Coburn.
The Men’s 3,000m, Ryan and Woody square off against reigning US Champion, Paul Chelimo, and his training partner Shadrack Kipchirchir. Ryan is considered a 3,000m specialist, and looks to return to Worlds after winning the silver medal in 2016. Woody is seeking a strong encore performance after finishing second to Chelimo in 2017.
To close out the weekend, Colleen, Kate, and Shelby will race the 1500m. Colleen and Kate will be fresh and looking to replicate their 1-2 finish from the Millrose Games two weeks ago. Shelby, the reigning US Champion, will be doubling back after racing in the 3k the day before. This race is a sure can’t miss event.
Below is a list of race days and times. All events will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network and can be streamed online with an NBC Sports Gold subscription.
Saturday:
Women’s 3,000m -- 6:28pm ET
Men’s 3,000m -- 6:45pm ET
Sunday:
Women’s 1500 -- 5:42pm ET
Super Saturday Recap
BTC had a huge weekend of racing on the dirt and track led by victories from the Women's Squad in Tallahassee, New York and Boston. Read more for the full recap of all the BTC results from this weekend.
USATF Cross Country Championships -- Tallahassee, FL
The USATF XC Championships in Tallahassee kicked off a Super Saturday of performances for BTC. Emily Infeld, Courtney Frerichs, and Evan Jager all finished in the top 4, with Emily taking home her first USATF national title.
Emily and Courtney entertained pre-race dreams of holding hands across the line, but those were foiled by the stiff competition in Tallahassee. Emily would need both hands to break the tape. The early pace was controlled by our two BTC athletes and former NCAA XC champion, Molly Siedel. The pack was slowly whittled down to 5 by 7k, when Courtney and Emily Durgin started to come under pressure and lost contact. Those two settled into their own private battle, which Courtney would go on to win, duplicating her 4th place finish from last year’s event.
Meanwhile, Emily pressed on at the front, trading surges with Siedel as the pair broke away from the field. With a kilometer to go Emily threw in another big move. At first Siedel appeared able to respond, but up a steep hill with 500 meters to go she eked out a 10 meter advantage. As she crested the hill and sprinted towards the finish line her margin widened. Five years after running her last cross country race, she claimed the national title. She has been on a bit of a different training cycle while at altitude camp, “focusing more on speed but keeping my miles at the highest they have ever been.” Clearly the new training plan worked.
On the men’s side, Evan proved that some Ferrari’s are able to drive on grass. In his first cross country race since high school (more than 10 years ago), Evan was in contention for the win nearly the whole race. He was in the lead pack through about 9k. Even with 1000 meters to go he was still only three seconds back of the two leaders. Although unable to close the gap, Evan closed hard, relying on his strength he has built up through years of steeplechasing, to finish fourth in 29:31.
For more coverage on the USATF XC Championships follow these links:
NYRR Millrose Games -- New York, NY
It may have been freezing outside in New York, but a heat wave swept through the Armory on Saturday. Ryan and Woody got the meet started for BTC by running in the Dr. Sanders 3k. The early pace was fast but settled into a tactical affair once the rabbit dropped off. Ryan ran aggressively for the win, coming up a couple of gears short in the sprint and finished third place in 7:46.65. Woody, in his first race in nearly a year, ran conservatively near the back until one lap to go. Always confident in his finish (some teammates have dared to call him a Sandbagger), he swung way wide to move around nearly the whole field and finish fourth in 7:47.19. Both men are excited to get back to training after hitting the World Indoor Qualifying mark.
The best was still to come at Millrose in the form of the Women’s Wanamaker Mile. It was a day of firsts. It was Colleen’s first time running in the Armory and Kate’s first time wearing a BTC kit. The race was well bunched and tactical until 400 meters to go. With a lap remaining Colleen, perfectly positioned, took the lead and did not look back, although perhaps she should have. Having never broken tape before Colleen said she “just got so excited that I did the one thing I know I’m not supposed to do,” which is to celebrate early. Colleen threw up her arms in celebration which nearly allowed Kate to claim victory. In the end Colleen broke the tape in 4:30.05 with Kate finishing second in 4:30.08.
Colleen, Kate, Ryan, and Woody will all be at the USATF Indoor Championships in two weeks time looking for spots on the World Indoor team.
For more coverage on the Millrose Games follow these links:
Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invite -- Boston, MA
Not too far away from the Armory in New York City, Shelby and Marielle had a record day…literally. Both women ran a 3k with the goal of getting the World Indoor qualifying standard. They ran the majority of the race behind a pacer at 8:45 pace, well below the 8:50 Worlds standard. After the pacer stepped off, Shelby put the pressed on with the pace and pulled away from the field to claim victory in 8:36.01, setting a 15 second personal best and becoming the second fastest American 3k runner in history (only behind teammate Shalane Flanagan). Marielle, dawning the BTC kit for the first time, finished second in 8:40.20, and also set a massive second personal best by 14 seconds.
After making the World Indoor time standard look like a walk in the park, both women will head back up to altitude to prepare for USA Indoor Nationals in two weeks. While Shelby claims “defending my Indoor National titles from last year and make the Indoor World Championship team” are the main goals for the remainder of the season, she admits that “seeing my name at the top of the American [3k] record board would be amazing; and I hope to get another chance to possibly go for that this season.”
With most athletes competing for the first time in 2018, this weekend was hopefully only a sneak peek of what is to come from BTC the remainder of the year. The athletes will do their best to catch their breath before heading back into thin air and altitude camp in preparation for USA Indoor Championships, February 16-18 in Albuquerque.
Rubber to Pavement: BTC Transitions With The Seasons.
Bowerman Track Club finishes up its summer racing series, while others prepare for marathons and a Fall filled with mileage, base training, and Pumpkin Spice lattes.
Fifth Ave Fights and City Nights
Focusing on getting some speed back into their legs after the long grind of a World Championship year, Bowerman women Shelby Houlihan, Courtney Frerichs, Colleen Quigley, and Emily Infeld headed east this past weekend to close out their summer racing series at the Fifth Avenue Mile held in New York City. All moving down in distance, the event was a challenging but fun opportunity to end their seasons in style, flying past Central Park's trees in quick succession. Colleen led the way for Bowerman, taking 9th in a time of 4:20.6, followed by Shelby for 13th in 4:26.3, Emily for 17th in 4:30.3, and Courtney for 20th in 4:31.3. The crew was all smiles after the race, happy to have braved the challenge of a new event. Laughing Courtney said, "I set PB's at every split."
#MarathonManCamp
While the New York Squad finished up in the city, Chris Derrick and Andrew Bumbalough were off in the woods and mountains of Mammoth California (dubbed #MammothonMarathonManCamp on social media), getting themselves ready for the Chicago Marathon coming up on Oct. 8th. Hitting high mileage for several months and drinking in the natural setting of Mammoth, CD and Bumby are excited to finally be in the month out moments of the marathon. Having focused their training mainly on mileage and progressive long runs, Chris and Bumby have begun honing in their pace work now that September has arrived.
Now back in Portland, Bumby and Chris have rejoined the Bowerman boys still in the city to finish up their training and drink some finely brewed Portland Coffee that they have missed for so long. Andrew Bumbalough is excited to have another shot at the Marathon after his impressive debut in Tokyo of 2:13:58. Chris Derrick is looking forward to his own debut in Chicago where he said in confidence, "I just hope to not have a terrible last 10k." With his 10k prowess, I don't think anyone is worried.
Shelby and Colleen Favorites in Women's Mile at USATF Indoor Nationals; Jager and Lomong Look to Contend
Shelby and Colleen Favorites is Women's Mile at USATF Indoor Nationals
