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Featured Lens: The Purest Sport 

A general lens about track and field

Track & Field: The Purest Sport

Hailed as the cornerstone of the first Olympic games, the sport that is now known as Track and Field is the purest example of athletic achievement today. While it is true that the sport (along with several others) has received negative media attentio...

Great American Distance Runners 

Squidwho lenses about the best distance runners competing now

Ryan Hall

Ryan has had success on the track, but he owns the roads. He is the American Record holder for the half-marathon (59:43), he ran the fastest debut marathon in US history (2:08:24), he won the US Olympic Marathon Trials and ran 2:06:17 in London! In B...

Jon Rankin

Jon Rankin is the fastest miler you've maybe heard of. If you've lost to him, that is! The graduate of UCLA has consistently run 3:36 for 1500m and finished 6th at the Olympic Trials, just missing a spot on the Olympic team. He is an avid supporter...

Meb Keflezighi - 2009 NYC Marathon Champ!

Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi is the American record holder over 10,000 meters (27:13.98) and a silver medalist in the Olympic marathon (Athens, '04). He is a four-time NCAA champion, a three-time U.S. 10k champ, a three-time U.S. cross co...

Alan Webb

Alan Webb has had a record-breaking career, and he is still just 26 years old. He holds the National High School indoor and outdoor mile records, the American mile record, and is the former holder of the two-mile record. He ranks among America's elit...

Kara Goucher

Kara Goucher is one of America's best distance runners competing today. She won the bronze medal at the World Championships in the 10k in 2007, ran the fastest half marathon by an American woman (1:06:57) and is on the all-time US top-10 list for 3k,...

More Great American Distance Runners 

Squidwho lenses about the best distance runners competing now

German Fernandez

German Fernandez is arguably the best high school runner ever. He demolished the CIF state meet record in cross country (14:24 for 5k), won the USA Junior Cross Country championships (24:18 for 8k), ran the best distance double in high school history...

Shalane Flanagan

Shalane Flanagan is the American Record holder for the indoor 3,000 meters, the indoor and outdoor 5,000 meters, and the 10,000 meters. She has won five national cross country championships and five national championships on the track, including her...

Jordan Hasay

Jordan Hasay is a two-time Footlocker Champion, a two-time Junior Cross Country Champion, a three-time CA state champion for 3200m, an Olympic Trials finalist in the 1500m, and the holder of numerous age-group records in track and field. She has run...

Matt Tegenkamp

Matt Tegenkamp is a phenomenal runner. The American record holder for two-miles, he has also run the fifth fastest 5k all-time in America. He has won USA cross country titles, indoor track titles, and come within four hundredths of a second of medali...

Dathan Ritzenhein

Dathan Ritzenhein is the best cross country runner in the US. He is a two-time high school XC champion (99-00), an NCAA XC champion (03), and a two-time USATF XC champion (05, 08). He is also a two-time Olympian and holder of various national track r...

Still More Great American Distance Runners 

Squidwho lenses about the best distance runners competing now

Galen Rupp

Galen Rupp is arguably the best young distance runner in the US today. He set high school or US junior records from the 2000m to the 10,000m. And though he is still a student at the University of Oregon, Galen has participated in the World Championsh...

Olympian Bernard Lagat

Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat (b. December 12, 1974, Kapsabet, Kenya) is a middle and long distance champion athlete who now represents the United States. In July, 2008, Lagat won the US Olympic Trials in the 1500m and 5000m, making the Olympic team in b...

Lauren Fleshman

Lauren Fleshman is one of the best American 5,000 meter runners ever. She won three straight NCAA championships over 5,000 meters, setting US Junior and NCAA Records in the process. She won the 2006 US Outdoor Championships 5,000 meter title and is c...

Great African Distance Runners 

Squidwho lenses about the best distance runners from Africa

Sammy Wanjiru

Samuel Wanjiru is on track to become the greatest Kenyan marathoner of all-time. His greatest achievement was winning the Olympic marathon in Beijing, but he has also set the world record in the half-marathon three times (current 58:33) and the world...

Abubaker Kaki Khamis

Abubaker Kaki Khamis is a Sudanese 800 meter runner who recently broke the Junior World Record by running 1:42.69 in Oslo, Norway. He is an Indoor World Champion, the 5th fastest 800 meter runner indoors, and the 13th fastest 800 meter runner outdoor...

Kenenisa Bekele

Kenenisa Bekele is the current world record holder for 5,000 and 10,000 meters. He is the four time reigning world champion and two time reigning Olympic champion at 10,000 meters. He is also the five time short (4k) and six time long (12k) course wi...

Haile Gebrselassie

Haile "The Emperor" Gebrselassie was born April 18, 1973 in Asella, Arsi Province, Ethiopia. He stands 5 feet 5 inches tall (1.65 meters) and weighs 123 pounds (56 kg). Oh yeah, he's set 26 world records, too. Haile currently lives and trains in Addi...

Great Jumpers / Multi-Events athletes 

Squidwho lenses about the best jumpers / multi-events athletes competing today

Yelena Isinbayeva

Yelena Isinbayeva is a Russian pole vaulter. Yelena Isinbayeva holds the world record for female pole vault. Jelena Isinbayeva is pushing the world record higher nearly every time she participates in an athletics meeting. There has never been an fem...

Allison Stokke Pictures Gallery - Female Pole Vaulter | Hot Pole Vaulter

Allison Stokke only does the thing she loves and that is just pole vaulting and studying. Female pole vaulter Allison Stokke is doing well in school and also excel in sports. During her high school days this pole vault girl kept breaking the national...

Carolina Kluft

Information about Carolina Kluft, She is the current Olympic, World and European heptathlon champion and is regarded as one of the best female athletes in the world. She is also the European record holder for heptathlon with a personal best of 7,032...

Great Sprinters 

Squidwho lenses about the best sprinters competing today

Sanya Richards

Sanya Richards  is a Jamaican / American track and field athlete who competes internationally for the United States.

Asafa Powell

Asafa Powell is a Jamaican sprinter who held the world record in the 100 m sprint category from June 2005 to May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds, before he was overtaken by Usain Bolt.

Tyson Gay 100m Track Sprinter - Famous Track Athlete | Olympic Sprinter Pictures

Tyson Gay is the current double world champion and American Olympic track sprinter. Not sot so long ago looks like Tyson Gay would become the one who would break Asafa Powell world 100m record. But suddenly there comes Usain Bolt who beat him and the...

Oscar Pistorius

Oscar Pistorius is fast. He's run 46.25 for 400 meters, 21.58 for 200 meters, and 10.91 for 100 meters. And he's done it all with no lower legs. Using his "Cheetah Flex-Foot" blades, Oscar has run 26 world record performances, and now he has started...

Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter and current world junior and Jamaican record holder over the 200 m. In the Peking Olympics, Usain Bolt has run the 100 meters in a nearly incredible time of 9.69 seconds. That is new world record and gained Usain Bo...

More Great Sprinters 

Squidwho lenses about the best sprinters competing today

Xavier Carter

Xavier Carter is an American professional track and field athlete.

Wallace Spearmon

Wallace Spearmon  is an American sprint athlete.

Francis Obikwelu

Francis Obikwelu  is a Nigerian and Portuguese sprint athlete specializing in 100 m and 200 m. He won the first olympic athletics medal ever for Portugal.

Jeremy Wariner Pictures - Best USA 400m Runner | Jeremy Wariner Biography

Jeremy Wariner has been the top 400m runner for quite sometime now. Jeremy Wariner has been undefeated for a long time until just recently when he lost twice to compatriot LaShawn Merritt. They both will compete in 2008 Beijing Olympics and it is goi...

Derrick Atkins

Derrick Atkins  is a Bahamian sprinter.

Great Hurdlers 

Squidwho lenses about great hurdlers competing today!

Michelle Perry

Michelle Perry is an American track and field and heptathlon athlete.

Virginia Powell

Virginia Powell  is an American hurdler.

Liu Xiang 110m Hurdles - Track Hurdles Pictures | Chinese Athlete Liu Xiang Biography

Liu Xiang is among most famous Chinese athletes. Liu Xiang popularity came about when he became Olympic champion at the 2004 Athens Olympic with a new 110m hurdles Olympic record (12.91 sec) and equaling the world record at the same time. In 2006 he...

All-time Great Distance Runners 

Squidwho lenses about runners gone but not forgotten

Hicham El Guerrouj

Hicham El Guerrouj is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (1500m, 5000m), a four-time outdoor World Champion in the 1500m, and a three-time indoor World Champion (1500m, 3000m). He currently holds five world records in the 1500m (3:26.00, 3:31.18i), the...

Sebastian Coe

Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe KBE gold medal at the announced London as the winning bid, became the chairman of the (born 29 September 1956 in Chiswick, London) is a politician and former top-level athlete from England. In his athletics career as...

Steve Prefontaine

Steve "Pre" Prefontaine was born on January 25, 1951. He died on May 30, 1975. In those 24 years, he became a legend. He won seven NCAA titles, set eight American records at distances ranging from 2,000 meters to 10,000 meters, and inspired a running...

Steve Cram

Steve Cram MBE (born October 14, 1960) is a retired English athlete. Along with fellow Englishmen Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett, he was one of the world's dominant middle distance runners during the 1980s. Nicknamed "The Jarrow Arrow", Cram set world...

More All-time Great Distance Runners 

More Squidwho lenses about runners gone but not forgotten

Steve Ovett

Stephen Michael James Ovett OBE, born 9th October 1955, is a former middle distance champion form UK. He was a gold medalist in the 800m at the 1980 Olympic games, Moscow, and set world records for 1500m and 1 mile. Ovett first attracted internation...

Sir Peter Snell

All about a runner that could give New Zealanders something to cheer about. Sorry that he could not be kept in New Zealand. We have a habit of not supporting our best in this country.  According to an interview heard on the radio though, Sir Peter...

Emil Zatopek

Emil Zatopek redefined distance running. The Czech runner's brutal interval workouts and strategic approach to racing helped him to win four Olympic gold medals, including three (5k, 10k, and marathon) at the 1952 Helsinki Games. He set 18 world reco...

All-Time Great Jumpers / Multi-Events Athletes 

Squidwho lenses about the best jumpers / multi-events athletes of yesterday

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Jackie Joyner-Kersee is a retired American athlete. She can be counted amongst the all-time best in heptathlon as well as for the long jump.

All-Time Great Sprinters 

Squidwho lenses about sprinters past

Maurice Greene

Maurice Greene is an American sprinter in athletics. Maurice Green holds several world records.

Allan Wells

Allan Wipper Wells (born May 3, 1952) is a former Scottish athlete who became Olympic Champion in the 100 m at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

Florence Griffith-Joyner

Florence Griffith-Joyner was an American track and field athlete.

Merlene Ottey

Merlene Ottey is a Jamaican-born Slovenian track athlete. Ottey began her career representing Jamaica, but since 2002, has represented Slovenia, where she now resides.

Carl Lewis

Carl Lewis is a retired American track and field athlete.

Track and Field books and blogs 

Resources for track fans

Great Running Blogs

If by "complete" you mean complete, then this will never completely be The "Complete" Lens of Running Blogs. But it can be the Complete Lens of Running Blogs that I actually read regularly! So that's what it is. Only, rather than use a feed reader th...

The Complete Lens of Running Books

If you're a runner, chances are you're a reader, too. And if you're a runner and a reader, chances are you're a reader of running books. And if you're a reader of running books, this is the lens for you! There are currently 105(!) books on this list...

Best Ever Track & Field lenses 

The Best Olympic Distance Performers Ever

This is a list of the top 25 Olympic distance performers ever. Except I've only nailed down the top 24...I need your help to choose the final person! Each athlete in this list had a remarkable career. But that's not what this list is about. This lis...

The Best American Marathoners Ever

America has had its share of great marathoners. But there hasn't really been a clear way of determining where they rank. I set out to answer that question, and this lens shows my results. It's a dynamic list, though, and with every performance by pre...

Track and Field Events 

Squidoo lenses on individual track events

Olympic Marathons

Read about the Olympic Marathon event in Beijing 2008 and the amazing runs by Constantina Tomescu-Dita of Romania and Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya. See what's planned for the London Olympics in 2012.

Teaching Track and Field: Hurdles

To be a sprint hurdler you have to combine many different athletic abilities: speed, balance, flexibilty, rhythm. Here I hope to share some training tips to make you or your athletes better hurdlers.

Javelin Throw: Everything you need to know about how to throw a javelin (properly!)

Javelin throwing is an unbelievably technical event. Unlike our hammer, discus and shot putting counterparts, we do not rely so much on strength and muscle as excellent coordination and rhythm! It is the combination of many many little things that ma...

The Chicago Marathon

“Do you want to run a marathon, too?” The word going hand-in-hand on the street is: "Lance Armstrong and the Chicago Marathon". As if anyone thinking of trying to keep up with him on a bike wasn't daunting enough! And let me tell you,...

The Mental Side of Track and Field 

Lenses to help you workout your mind

Winning the Mind Game

Winning the Mind Game - Sports is not just muscles, but also brains. Every top sports woman and top sports man has a motivational coach these days. For a good reason: A top performance is only possible when body and mind work together. Getting your...

Sport Psychology

Sport Psychology is an exciting and interesting discipline which is growing in popularity. I hope to provide some useful resources and links for athletes, coaches and students that are interested in learning more.

Busted! These athletes were caught using banned substances! 

Squidwho lenses about athletes who have been banned from competition

Marion Jones

Marion Jones is an American athlete of half Belizean and half African American descent. In October 2007 she publically admitted that she had used doping. (see below).

Justin Gatlin

Justin Gatlin is an American sprinter.