World Championships Recap
The nature of distance running-- particularly when your Coach is Jerry Schumacher-- is that long blocks of training lead into short periods of racing. Day after day, week after week, month after month, athletes train with their eyes pointed towards one peak event. When that event arrives, success or failure will inevitably color the memory of all that came before. A great and enjoyable block of training is marred by a disappointing result. A difficult period is remembered in the fond afterglow of an unexpected success. Every experienced athlete knows this intuitively. It is a process that can’t help but breed tension and nerves.
It’s doubly so when your running is your career and triply so when the peak event is an October World Championships. That is why, all places and times aside, we are so proud of how our athletes ran at the IAAF World Championships in Doha. Each of them confronted the pressure and delivered in the face of it.
The places and times though, they were pretty great!
In the final tally, across 10 athletes, we had 8 top 10 finishes, 5 personal bests, 2 national records, and one big ol’ Bronze Medal.
Below you’ll find all our Instagram recaps for each event, as well as race video where available.
Women’s Marathon
13. Carrie Dimoff, 2:44.35
Women’s 10,000m
8. Marielle Hall, 31:05.71— #6 U.S. All-Time
Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase
6. Courtney Frerichs: 9:11.27
Women’s 5,000m
9. Karissa Schweizer, 14:45.18— #5 U.S. All-Time
Men’s 1,500m
8. Matthew Centrowitz, 3:32.18
Men’s 10,000m
5. Moh Ahmed, 27:59.35— Canadian Record!
6. Lopez Lomong, 27:04.72— #3 U.S. All-Time
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
BTC Pro Summer Racing Schedule
All the info you need to follow BTC Pros this summer!
We know that it can be difficult to follow your favorite track athletes throughout the summer with races in different countries and schedules changing often. We’ve made this Summer Racing Guide to give you some idea of when the big BTC events are. This schedule is incomplete as some races are still be sorting out (and if your favorite athlete is missing that’s probably why). To make sure you stay up to date on all BTC racing, follow @BowermanTC on Twitter and Instagram!
July 4th: Peachtree 10K, Gwen Jorgensen, Lopez Lomong, Chris Derrick
Huge crowds at the AJC Peachtree 10k
Held in Atlanta, GA, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race is the largest 10k in the world with around 60,000 participants every year! The last few years it has doubled as the USATF 10K Road Championships and will do so again this year. Lopez looks to make it a Track/Road double at 10K national championships, while CD will try and add another road title after winning the USATF Half Marathon title earlier this year. Gwen returns to familiar territory: she was dominant in the 10k road races that end Olympic Distance triathlons throughout her career.
How to Watch: Live on NBC Sports Gold (6:50am EDT), Replay on NBCSN (7:00pm EDT)
July 5th: Canadian Championships, Moh Ahmed (5,000m), Matt Hughes (Steeplechase)
Moh winning at the Canadian Championships
Both Matt and Moh look to defend their National titles from 2017 in Ottawa.
How to Watch: There should be a live stream here, along with heat sheets schedule and ticketing information.
July 5th: Lausanne Diamond League, Shelby Houlihan (1500m)
After winning the Pre Classic, Shelby will look to cement her status on the world stage at 1500m in Switzerland. Schedule, start lists, and results (when available) will be here.
How to Watch: All Diamond League meets in the US are on NBC Sports Gold and either NBCSN or the Olympic Channel.
July 9: Lucerne Athletics Meeting, Kate Grace (800m)
Kate will drive down from the mountains of St. Moritz to run some under distance in Lucerne. This meet is on the smaller side, but has a great atmosphere and usually fairly decent conditions.
July 13th: Rabat Diamond League, Matt Hughes (Steeplechase), Ryan Hill (3,000m)
Diamond League points and fast times are the mission for Matt and Ryan in Morocco. Top 8 in each Diamond League race get points to qualify for the Diamond League final held later in the summer. Ryan is particularly well positioned to score points with this race being a 3,000m, the distance at which he is the 3rd fastest American of all time.
Schedule, start lists, and results (when available) will be here.
How to Watch: All Diamond League meets in the US are on NBC Sports Gold and either NBCSN or the Olympic Channel.
July 14th: Kortrijk, Josh Thompson (Steeplechase), Vanessa Fraser (1500m)
Kortrijk is a part of the Flanders Cup, a series of races in Belgium that are popular with US athletes. Josh will spend the summer trying to lower his personal best in the steeplechase and gain valuable experience for the future. Vanessa will look to lower her 4:10 personal best at 1500 and tune up her speed ahead of the Huesden 5,00m (see below).
July 20th: Monaco Diamond League, Courtney Frerichs, Evan Jager, Matt Hughes (Steeplechase for all three)
Evan on his way to his first Diamond League win in Monaco, 2017.
One of the jewels of the Diamond League circuit, Monaco was the site of Evan’s first American Record in 2012 and his first Diamond League win (2017). The pace will hopefully be set up to offer a chance at a sub-8 minute clocking. Courtney and Matt will be both be hunting personal bests on own of the fastest tracks in the world.
Schedule, start lists, and results (when available) will be here.
How to Watch: All Diamond League meets in the US are on NBC Sports Gold and either NBCSN or the Olympic Channel.
July 21-22: London Diamond League, Moh Ahmed and Ryan Hill (5,000m), Kate Grace (mile)
Track returns to the Olympic Stadium in London, which has become one of the best venues in the sport since 2012. The European track circuit will take a break in early August for the European Championships, so this looks to be Moh, Ryan, and Kate's final race before returning to the US for a month of training. They will return in late August to hopefully compete in the Diamond League Final and the Continental Cup.
Schedule, start lists, and results (when available) will be here.
How to Watch: All Diamond League meets in the US are on NBC Sports Gold and either NBCSN or the Olympic Channel.
July 21st: Huesden KBC Nacht, Marielle Hall, Vanessa Fraser, and Shelby Houlihan (5,000m)
The top meet on the Belgian circuit of races, Huesden is known as the “Stanford of Europe” because conditions are often prime for fast distance racing. A smaller meet compared to the Diamond Leagues, it doesn’t lack for crowds and character. Marielle, Vanessa, and Shelby will all seek fast times at 5,000m and word is they may even have a famous pacemaker…
August 4th: Beach to Beacon 10k, Chris Derrick
Held in Cape Elizabeth, Maine and founded distance running legend, Joan Benoit-Samuelson, Beach to Beacon is one of the classic US road races. It always features a world class field and a world class lobster boil.
August 11st European Championships, Marc Scott (5,000m)
The European Championships will be held in Berlin’s famous stadium, a fantastic setting for the peak of the 2018 season for European athletes. With Mo Farah departed from the track, the door is open for a new Briton to seize the European title.
August 10th-12th NACAC Championships, Lopez Lomong and Marielle Hall (10,000m), Kate Grace (1500m)
The NACAC Championships are a regional championships for the North and Central American countries. This year they will be held in Toronto, Canada.
BTC Athlete Spotlight: Mohammed Ahmed
This Week's BTC Athlete Spotlight is Mohammed Ahmed. Amongst the team he's known as "Scoop", because he's always got the inside information on any topic, regardless if it's correct or not. Check out his video interview to get the scoop on Moh's passion for poetry, his journey to the BTC and much more.
Mohammed Ahmed’s impressive career as a runner can easily be broken down into his life experiences and approach to running as a whole. Mo spent his formative years growing up in St. Catharines Ontario, a beautiful city right on the border of Canada and western New York. It was here where he discovered running and more importantly, a competitive drive that is clearly still with him today. Moh points to his brothers as his introduction to sport, and it was through their “battles,” as he puts it, throughout a variety of sports, that he came to fall in love with running. On weekends, Moh and his brothers would go watch local track meets furthering the extent running played in his earlier years.
Moh’s early passion for running is backed up by an impressive Junior career, where he was Canadian Junior Champion in the 5,000m four times, along with several appearances at World Juniors. Taking this momentum, Mo attended the University of Wisconsin, where he was soon to join a long lineage of Bowerman TC “Badgers.” He points to his time as Wisconsin Badger as the start of a “longer than expected” journey to Bowerman Track Club. With eyes westward, Moh took note of the many Wisconsin alums running under coach Jerry Schumacher, at what was at the time the Oregon Track Club. For Moh, these big named badgers such as Chris Solinsky and Matt Tegenkamp, served as his “heroes” and it was by looking up to them that he began to formulate a future in Oregon training under Jerry and the soon to be Bowerman TC. Jerry eventually did reach out, and Moh has been the perfect fit for the group ever since.
Since joining Bowerman, Moh notes an interesting dynamic in the group that is oddly similar to his initial start with running. Recalling the competitive brotherly nature that Moh grew up in, the Bowerman teammates he now trains with, such as Chris Derrick, Elliott Heath, German Fernandez, and Ryan Hill, were all former collegiate rivals. Now in the same club however, Moh points out how great it is to “unite and be working together.” With such competitive people, especially with the combined collegiate successes coming in, the brotherly dynamic is why it works and why Moh feels he is getting better.
Marking the transition from college to running professionally, Moh impressively continues to have break-out performances. As a Badger, Moh racked up 11 NCAA All-American awards in track and cross-country, along with an Olympic berth in the 10,000m at the 2012 London Olympic Games. He finished off his collegiate career with a 9th place finish in the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, where he set the Canadian record in the 10,000m at the time. With Bowerman Track Club, the teamwork training techniques of Jerry are clearly paying off as Moh most recently set the Canadian 5,000m record in 13:01.7, followed up by a near miss of the bronze medal with a fourth place finish in the 5,000m in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Specifically regarding the culture of the men’s Bowerman team, Moh points out that competition is key to keeping everyone at their highest level, but with an important distinction; “We’re mainly not competitive with each other, we’re competitive with the goals that were set for us by Jerry.” Continuing on in an almost diplomatic tone, Mo said, “the competitive need to drop each other is taken out on the competition, and on the race.”
Off the track, the brotherly dynamic continues by a culture of “mainly just making fun of each other,” Moh said with a laugh. Individually speaking however, Moh spends his time reading, watching House of Cards on Netflix, but most interestingly, translating Somali poetry. Classifying himself as a “big poetry lover,” Moh has continued the work he was doing in his last two years of college translating and “scribbling” Somali poetry. Partly to “keep his mind active” and partly out of genuine interest, Moh elegantly states that many of the messages of the poems he has spent hours with, speak with poignant prevalence to world issues of today. Nicknamed “Scoop” by his fellow teammates, Moh concerns himself with always having choice information on topics, which Chris Derrick is always happy to play devils advocate to.
Both as an athlete and person, Mohammed Ahmed is a key component to the Bowerman family, and though he thrives off of the competitive atmosphere, he is committed to getting better together.