Running News Daily

Elizabeth Leachman ran 15:28 for 5,000 meters indoors and 15:25 outdoors—but she’s taking the long view.

Elizabeth Leachman has built an impressive running résumé during her first two years of high school. Last December, the sophomore won the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in San Diego in 16:50, finishing 14 seconds ahead of the second-place runner.

She made headlines on March 10 at the Nike Indoor Nationals meet in New York, when she broke an indoor track record for previously held by Katelyn Tuohy. Leachman, 16, ran 15:28.90 for 5,000 meters, bettering Tuohy’s high school record (15:37.12), set in 2018, by more than 6 seconds. Leachman averaged 4:59 per mile. 

Then on March 28, she ran the 5,000 meters at the Texas Relays and took an additional 3 seconds off. Her time, 15:25.27, broke Natalie Cook’s high school record (15:25.93) from 2022. 

Her coach, Jenny Breuer, doesn’t care about any of that. She just wants her athlete to run even splits. 

Leachman, who goes to Boerne Champion High School, in Boerne, Texas, a suburb of San Antonio, knows her pacing can be a weakness. But she’s working on it.

“That’s definitely been a struggle for me,” she said. “I really like to go out hard and just kind of get after it. But I pay for it at the end, for sure.” 

That’s why according to Breuer, the 5,000-meter record wasn’t even the most important race Leachman ran at the Nike indoor meet. Two days earlier, Leachman won the 2-mile in 9:44.16, splitting 5:03 for the first mile and 4:41 for the second. 

The 4:41 was (unofficially) a mile PR for her. It also proved to her that she didn’t have to lead. Leachman has had some poor (for her) races after going out too hard, most notably at Nike Cross Nationals last fall, the week before her Foot Locker win, when she rocketed out to a 17-second lead in the early miles before fading to 15th place.

“You can’t keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result, so [for the 2-mile] we really just talked about waiting for the 1200, six laps in, then go,” Breuer said. “She likes to lead. It stresses her out not to lead. I think that gave her a lot of confidence she could race differently and still win.” 

Breuer says Leachman is easily the most talented athlete she has had in 28 years of coaching college and high school athletes. But she spends most of her time holding Leachman back. 

After she contended with hip bursitis and tendinitis in her hip and hamstring as a freshman, Leachman embarked on a vigorous cross-training regimen, alternating sessions of pool running, the elliptical machine, and the ARC trainer. 

Her weekly schedule is similar to that of Parker Valby, the University of Florida star who is a four-time NCAA champion. Leachman’s routine includes only three or four days each week of running, for about 30 miles total. She’ll do a 90-minute session of cross-training on the days she doesn’t run, and on the days she does, she’ll put in an extra 30 minutes of cross-training after the workout.

A typical week, Breuer said, will include a long run, a threshold run or intervals, and a shorter interval workout. The long run is usually 9–11 miles. She tried to have Leachman run by time, but she ended up running too fast and too far, so they went to a mileage limit. 

A recent threshold workout was 4 x 1 mile at about 5:10 pace, with a one-minute recovery between miles. The speed day was 4 x 600 meters with a 200-meter float between each. She never does more than a mile for warmup or cooldown, so that workout totaled less than 4 miles. 

They’ve also spent a lot of time doing 200s in 36 seconds and 400s in 72. Breuer will sometimes have Leachman do those after the main part of the workout, just to get the feeling of the pace she should not exceed. 

“If you have to take the lead, do not go faster than 36 or 72,” Breuer said she instructed Leachman before the 2-mile. “Do not run a 68. Please.”

The coach and the runner sometimes challenge each other. Leachman wants to do more. Breuer wants her to stay healthy and develop over time. “I’m always pulling her back,” Breuer said. “Err on the side of caution.”

For all the unusual ability Leachman has—a powerful aerobic engine, the discipline to work hard at cross-training—there’s one thing that she doesn’t have that most 16-year-olds do: an Instagram account. 

That’s been a deliberate choice on the part of Leachman and her parents, who don’t want to see their daughter swept up into the frenzy and pressure that can sometimes descend on young, female runners. (See: Tuohy and Valby.) 

“I think if it was fully up to me, I probably would have it,” Leachman said. “But my parents don’t want me to, and I’m okay with it. I haven’t really fought it.”

When she was at Nike Indoor Nationals in New York, it was the first time she had encountered fans who wanted to take pictures with her. It wasn’t too weird, she said. “It was mostly other high school girls and then a couple of younger girls,” she said. “It was sweet. I never expected that.” 

The social media moratorium is a way to keep Leachman’s high school experience as typical as possible. She maintains a perfect GPA. She works occasional shifts at a gym after school, staffing the front desk or the babysitting area, where parents drop their kids while they work out. She likes to be with her teammates, helping score points for Boerne Champion, even though she does many of her workouts alone or with the boys’ team during cross-country season. 

She follows what’s happening in pro and college running, but not obsessively. She knew Valby ran 14:52 in winning the NCAA indoor title—“insane” Leachman called it—but then she didn’t give it much more thought. 

“Because running is important to me, it’s the focus of what I’m doing a lot of the time,” she said. “When I’m away from it, I try not to make my whole life focused around it, so that I can be more balanced in general.”

The adults in Leachman’s life sound a constant drumbeat: You are more than your performances. 

“We talk a lot about external expectations, and just because you’re good at running doesn’t mean that it’s everything that defines you,” Breuer said. “That’s what’s really hard, I think, for a 16-year-old to remember sometimes when the spotlight is on. I try to remove that pressure as much as possible and remind her that this is supposed to be fun.”

There is plenty of time for all the extras. Leachman will have to wait to see if her 15:25 gets her entry into the Olympic Trials this summer, but Breuer is playing the long game. 

“She has a really good perspective,” Breuer said of Leachman. “Her parents have done a super job. And also, I say, ‘I want you to be an amazing college runner, I want you to be an amazing professional runner, if that’s what you want to do. We don’t want you to peak in high school. That’s not the goal.’”

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden delivered a sensational performance in Budapest, storming to victory in the women’s 100m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in a breathtaking 10.62 seconds.

The American produced a superb display of acceleration and composure to claim the World Ultimate Championship title while recording the fastest women’s 100m time in the world this year. Her 10.62 mark underlined her exceptional form and placed her firmly at the top of the global sprinting hierarchy.

Jefferson-Wooden controlled the race through the decisive stages and maintained her form all the way to the finish to secure a statement victory against a field packed with championship pedigree. She crossed the line ahead of Olympic champion Julien Alfred, who clocked 10.74 seconds with a -0.2 m/s wind, while Sha’Carri Richardson took third in 10.76.

Women’s 100m Final

1. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden — 10.62

2. Julien Alfred — 10.74 (-0.2 m/s)

3. Sha’Carri Richardson — 10.76

The victory was especially significant given the quality of the opposition. Jefferson-Wooden held her nerve against Alfred and Richardson, two of the most accomplished sprinters of the current generation, to produce the fastest performance in the world this year when it mattered most.

Alfred once again demonstrated her consistency at the highest level by taking silver, while Richardson completed an all-star podium in a race that brought together three of the biggest names in women’s sprinting.

But beyond the time, the title and the celebration, one of the most touching moments came after the race when Jefferson-Wooden embraced her father, Melvin, in an emotional celebration.

Their moment carried a deeply personal meaning. When Melissa was just 17 years old, she donated her stem cells to help her father undergo a bone marrow transplant after he was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome. Years later, the two shared an unforgettable embrace in Budapest after she had become the World Ultimate Champion.

For Jefferson-Wooden, however, the evening was about far more than a medal. It was the culmination of an extraordinary journey, now highlighted by a world-leading 10.62 seconds on one of the biggest stages in athletics.

With the Ultimate Championship title secured and her father by her side, Jefferson-Wooden leaves Budapest with more than being an ultimate champion. She leaves with momentum, confidence and a powerful statement of intent — turning a high-profile showdown into one of the defining sprint performances of her season.

Audrey Werro has added another major title to her extraordinary season, storming to victory in the women’s 800m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest.

The Swiss star delivered a commanding performance, taking control from the opening gun and refusing to surrender the lead as she powered through an absorbing battle against two of the biggest names in the event.

Werro stopped the clock at 1:55.88 to become the Ultimate Championships 800m champion, producing another statement performance on one of the sport’s newest and most prestigious stages.

Behind her, Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson fought her way to second in 1:56.26, while the Netherlands’ Femke Broeders-Bol completed the podium in 1:56.74.

The result once again brought together the same formidable trio that featured on the podium at the European Championships, but Werro again proved to be the athlete who could rise above the challenge when it mattered most.

Her Budapest triumph is the latest chapter in a season that has already included records, a successful Diamond League Trophy defence and European Championship gold. Now, she can add the Ultimate Championships crown to a growing list of accomplishments.

Werro’s consistency has been particularly impressive in an 800m event packed with elite talent. Rather than simply relying on a fast finish, the Swiss athlete showed her authority by taking the initiative from the beginning and maintaining enough strength and composure to hold off Hodgkinson and Broeders-Bol all the way to the line.

The victory also underlined the remarkable depth of the women’s 800m, with three athletes separated by less than a second at the finish. Hodgkinson’s 1:56.26 and Broeders-Bol’s 1:56.74 showed just how fiercely contested the race was, but Werro’s decision to dictate the pace ultimately gave her the decisive advantage.

For Werro, this was more than another medal. It was another opportunity to demonstrate that her rise is no passing moment. On a stage featuring established champions and elite rivals, she once again produced the performance required to claim the biggest prize.

For Hodgkinson, the silver medal adds another major podium finish, while Broeders-Bol once again demonstrated her ability to compete with the very best over two laps.

But the spotlight in Budapest belonged unmistakably to Werro.

With another championship crown secured, the Swiss star has strengthened her claim as the athlete setting the standard in women’s 800m running. This is Audrey Werro’s era — and the rest of the field is chasing.

Busang Collen Kebinatshipi has delivered another sensational performance, storming to victory in the men’s 400m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.

The reigning world champion stopped the clock at an astonishing 43.39 seconds, smashing his own Botswana national record and moving to fifth on the world all-time list.

Kebinatshipi produced a commanding finish to pull away from his rivals and secure the Ultimate Championship title. American star Rai Benjamin finished second in 44.15, while Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago completed the podium in 44.23.

 Men’s 400m

1. Busang Collen Kebinatshipi — 43.39 NR

2. Rai Benjamin — 44.15

3. Jereem Richards — 44.23

The performance is even more remarkable considering that Kebinatshipi had already rewritten the Botswana record just one week ago in Brussels, where he ran 43.40. In Budapest, he lowered that mark by another 0.01 seconds to establish a new national record of 43.39.

That improvement has also propelled the 22-year-old into rare territory. His latest time now ranks him fifth fastest in history over 400m, placing him among an extraordinary group of athletes who have broken the 43.40 barrier.

Kebinatshipi's victory also caps an extraordinary season for the Botswana star. After establishing himself as a global champion, he has continued to demonstrate that he belongs among the very best one-lap runners in the world.

And there is a major reward for his historic night in Budapest: Kebinatshipi walks away as the Ultimate Champion and $150,000 richer.

From another national record to a place among the five fastest 400m runners ever, Kebinatshipi has turned an already remarkable season into something truly special.

Botswana has its latest sprinting superstar — and Kebinatshipi is showing that his ceiling may be even higher than anyone imagined. 

Marileidy Paulino once again proved why she is the undisputed queen of the one-lap event, powering to victory in the women’s 400m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.

The Dominican Republic superstar produced a sensational 49.07 seconds to claim gold, pulling decisively away in the final straight and holding off a fiercely competitive field to extend her remarkable unbeaten run.

Paulino delivered her trademark combination of controlled speed and devastating finishing strength. She remained firmly in contention through the opening stages before unleashing her decisive move down the home straight, where she quickly opened a gap on her closest challengers.

Norway’s Henriette Jæger mounted a strong challenge but could not match Paulino’s finishing speed, crossing the line second in an impressive 49.28. Jamaica’s Nickisha Pryce completed the podium after clocking 49.56, ensuring that three of the world’s leading 400m talents occupied the medals.

The result once again underlined Paulino’s extraordinary consistency at the highest level. She entered Budapest as the world leader after running 48.48 in Paris in June, a performance that also set a Diamond League record. She subsequently remained unbeaten throughout her Diamond League campaign, closing the circuit with a meeting-record 48.64 in Brussels.

Budapest has also become a special venue in Paulino’s career. Three years ago, at the same National Athletics Centre, she captured her first individual world title, marking the beginning of another dominant chapter in her career. She later added Olympic gold in Paris in 2024, further establishing herself among the defining 400m athletes of her generation.

The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship has brought together the sport’s biggest stars in a new winner-takes-the-spotlight format, with Olympic and world champions, Diamond League winners and leading performers competing for ultimate honours.

For Paulino, the occasion once again ended with Ultimate Crown on her arms.

With 49.07 seconds, she did more than win another major 400m title. She delivered another statement of authority, powering through the final straight with the confidence and speed that have made her one of the most dominant figures in modern women’s athletics.

Marileidy Paulino remains unbeaten, remains relentless and, once again, remains the queen of the one lap.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen has made a major decision regarding the remainder of his World Athletics Ultimate Championship campaign, confirming that he will withdraw from the men’s 1500m in Budapest despite producing a sensational performance to win the 5,000m title.

The Norwegian superstar stormed to victory in the inaugural Ultimate Championship 5,000m on Friday night, clocking a season-best 12:59.24 and delivering a devastating finishing kick to defeat Olympic 5,000m champion Cole Hocker and American Parker Wolfe.

Ingebrigtsen’s final 100 metres was arguably the defining moment of the race. The Olympic champion produced a remarkable 12.60-second closing 100m, powering away from the field to secure the $150,000 winner’s prize and underline just how far his fitness has progressed since returning from Achilles surgery.

The victory was particularly significant after what has been an extremely difficult period for the 25-year-old. Earlier in the season, Ingebrigtsen faced serious uncertainty over whether he would even be able to compete at the highest level again. His return has gradually gathered momentum, and his performance in Budapest offered perhaps the clearest indication yet that the Norwegian is rediscovering his formidable racing ability.

But rather than risk pushing his recovering body further, Ingebrigtsen has now opted to step away from the 1500m.

The decision means the highly anticipated showdown with British rival Josh Kerr will not take place in Budapest after all. The two stars had been expected to renew one of the biggest rivalries in modern middle-distance running in the 1500m final.

Instead, Ingebrigtsen is looking beyond the immediate opportunity and towards the bigger picture.

“I’m thinking about 2027… Fitness cannot be faked,” the Norwegian said, signalling that protecting his long-term condition has become more important than chasing another major victory only days after his return to peak-level competition.

The decision comes just one week after an emotionally charged Diamond League Final in Brussels, where Ingebrigtsen finished fourth in the 1500m behind Australia’s Cameron Myers, Kenya’s Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech and American Ethan Strand.

After that race, Ingebrigtsen delivered a fiery assessment of his rivals and questioned the tactics surrounding the pacemaking, particularly involving Hocker. He later acknowledged that there had been “a little too much adrenaline and emotion” when microphones were placed in front of him immediately after the race.

Yet his latest decision shows that beneath the emotion and competitive intensity lies a longer-term strategy.

Ingebrigtsen has already demonstrated that he can compete at an elite level again. His 12:59.24 in Budapest was not simply a victory — it was a statement that the Norwegian remains capable of producing a world-class finish even after months of injury rehabilitation.

Now, however, he is choosing not to gamble with that progress.

For a runner who has spent much of the year fighting his way back from injury, another 1500m race could have offered enormous rewards but also carried unnecessary risk. By withdrawing, Ingebrigtsen is effectively prioritising longevity over one more opportunity for immediate glory.

His message is clear: the comeback is underway, but it will not be rushed.

The 5,000m victory has given Ingebrigtsen confidence, momentum and perhaps, most importantly, proof that his body can once again handle elite competition.

Now comes the harder part — knowing when to stop.

With 2027 already firmly in his sights, the Norwegian has chosen recovery over risk. And after everything he has endured, that could ultimately prove to be one of the most important decisions of his comeback.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen is not walking away from the sport. He is protecting his future in it.