Your one-stop-shop for all the latest news in the world of athletics and running.
This report covers all the big stories and breaking news from 3rd January 2021 to 8th January 2021.
Running Shoe News
Starting with ‘shoe news’, because it’s the news that everyone wants to know. First up, it’s the new Nike shoes for 2021 that have just been announced:
- Puma Super Shoe – Recently leaked online, the new Puma ‘super-shoe’, registered under the name, ‘Deviate Nitro’, it is being kept very close-hold but the leak comes from a reputable source. If believed, it signals a significant increase in investment from Puma.
- Hann Shoes – This newcomer to the shoe market, has produced a new and innovative shoe that has, this week, received a significant marketing push from the company. It boasts a style which looks like genuine springs on the bottom of the shoes and we are very keen to hear more about this technology when the owner of this company is a guest on our podcast over the coming weeks. Be sure to tune in. You can find more information by heading over to their Instagram, @Hann.Shoes.
- Saucony – On to arguably the brand of 2020, Saucony, who produced our ‘shoe of the year’, the Endorphin Speed. They have just announced that they have created an ‘OG’ design for their upcoming shoe range, which includes the second editions to the Endorphin collection, as well as their classic models such as ‘Kinvara’ and ‘Triumph’.
- Asics Prototype – Well, hello! If you’ve not seen the news video, in which we show a picture of this new shoe, you need to go check it out because it is one nice looking shoe. Arguably the nicest looking super shoe out there, it was recently seen in the Japanese Ediken Race.
- Adidas ‘Super Spike’ – This week saw images of the new Adidas spike. The first images suggest that it could be a ‘super spike’ and could finally be the one to seriously challenge Nike’s dominance, with the Dragonfly and Air Victory, when it comes to track spikes. Could the success they had with the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro translate to the track? It’s certainly going to be interesting to watch.
Transfer and Team news
On to this week’s transfer and team news. This has been another busy week of transfers, possibly in large part down to Nike’s decision to cut 50% of its expenditure on athletes, which we reported on in more detail last week. Although this in another packed week of transfer news, this segment is likely to die down as the season gets moving.
- Sandy Morris – the pole vaulter, Sandy Morris, has announced that she has left Nike to join Puma, another sign of their heavy investment in athletes and products ahead of the 2021 season.
- Ryan Hill – We reported on Ryan Hill’s departure from Bowerman Track Club in last week’s report but this week he announced where he would be moving to. Hoka looks to snapped up another elite athlete, with Ryan announcing that he has joined HOKA NAZ Elite.
- Tadesse Abraham – The 2:06 marathon runner, Tadesse Abraham, has announced that he has left Adidas and joined On Running. This is the first big announcement for On Running and for Abraham to leave Adidas after their recent product successes suggests that there might be more to that story. One to keep an eye on.
- Kate Grace – Following in Ryan Hill’s footsteps, Kate Grace has left the Bowerman Track Club. Although she has not announced any elite team destinations yet, it appears that she will be remaining as a Nike sponsored athlete.
- Molly Seidel – We briefly touched on this last week, but Molly Seidel has left Saucony and joined Puma Running’s as yet unnamed elite team. She got a bit fiery on Strava (you love to see it!) and it looked as though Saucony just refused to re-sign her. But she’s keeping us all guessing with what shoes she will be wearing as her recent posts on Instagram had the shoes covered with bunny ears and crocs.
- Kyle Merber – Very sadly, Kyle Merber announced that he was retiring from professional running, as a member of the HOKA team, and, in his words, rearranging his priorities.
- Fly Bizzy – This UK 800m and 1500m runner, best known as Fly Bizzy, has announced that he will be joining Texas University Track and Field Team and, with a PB of 1:46, he will no doubt be a great addition to their middle distance team.
- Josh Lay – Trackstaa sources suggest that Josh Lay, the UK 1500m athlete who had a breakout season in 2020, is currently in talks with a number of different brands with an announcement due imminently.
- Puma – Puma have announced that they will be starting an elite running team, with a name yet to be confirmed. We expect their base to be at one of the high-altitude areas of the USA such as Arizona or Boulder.
- NJNYTC – Hoka were previously of the elite team NJNY but, since Hoka withdrew their support recently, this team has now become NJNYTC, which I can only assume stands for New Jersey and New York Track Club.
- Trackstaa Elite – On to the biggest team news of the week, we also announced the formation of Trackstaa’s elite running team, Trackstaa Elite. Our new team, with athletes to be announced soon, will start with a growing social media presence before we turn it into a competitive team in due course. Our main aims being to produce significant content, produce successful athletes and sell merchandise for you, our loyal fans. You can follow us @Trackstaa.Elite.
World of running – General News
On to the other big things that have happened in the world of running over the last week.
- Race results – A week of few race results. However, UK athlete Eilish McColgan raced a 10k PB of 31:05. However, much to her annoyance, it turned out not to be an official race after the marshals sent everyone the wrong way. Yes, really.
- Also, University of Washington runner, Sam Tanner, who is just 20, ran a 3:36 for the 1500m. Scarily fast for January.
- Stride Report Rankings – Stride Report released a ranking of the current NCAA distance runners. Unsurprisingly, Luis Grijalva, was ranked first with Cooper Teare also in the top 3. You can check out the full rankings with comprehensive detail on each on Stride Report.
- Kandie v Cheptegei v Kiplimo v Kipruto v Farah et al – The Half Marathon world record holder, Kibiwott Kandie, announced this week that he will race the 10,000m at this year’s Olympic Games. This will put him up against other superstars such as Cheptegei, Kiplimo, Rhonex Kipruto and others. Sir Mo Farah’s chances of winning a historic gold are starting to look less and less likely by the day. Arguably the best 10,000m field in history.
- Next Generation Track and Field – Friend of Trackstaa, Ben Crawford released his new magazine ‘Next Generation Track and Field’ this week. Priced at $30 and with only 100 copies produced, it was quick to sell out. Next month’s edition is set for 300 copies with a reduced price yet to be announced.
‘Lets run Tea’
Likely to be our last ‘Lets Run Tea’ segment, for reasons which might become obvious below, we start with a reference to the fact that altitude chambers are banned in Norway.
This became evident with the title ‘It’s a good thing Galen Rupp isn’t Norwegian. Did you know altitude chambers are banned in Norway?’ This is probably a reference to the fact that Rupp is well known for enjoying his altitude chambers. An interesting rule which perhaps reflects the fact that 99% of the population do not have access to an altitude chamber. That said, 99% of the population would struggle to participate in proper altitude training. One we need to look into more.
More controversially, however, Lets Run had a thread about the UK running YouTuber rankings. Not a single person mentioned Trackstaa! Whilst Total Running Productions, Nick Symmonds and Zach Levet got a lot of love there was nothing for Trackstaa. This is likely to mean that we never mention Lets Run again…perhaps we just need to up our game.
Runners Spotlight
Ending our weekly report again this week is the ‘Spotlight’ feature where we aim to raise the profile of a new or lesser-known athlete.
This week we’re putting the spotlight on Ethan Hussey, a junior British runner who has some frankly crazy times at very young ages. We’ve listed some times below, but he’s certainly one for you to keep an eye on.
- As a 15 year old, he ran 14:28 for 5k!
- As a 16 year old, he ran 3:45 for 1500m and 1:49 for 800m.
- As a 15 year old, he ran 3:50 for 1500m and 1:52 for 800m.
- When he was 14, he ran 4:00 for 1500m (!).
That’s it for this week, if you think we’ve missed anything out of the report for this week or you have any suggestions on items you would like to see, comment below this article or send us a DM on Instagram and we’ll include it in the next report.