Running News Daily

For many runners, running for even 10 minutes on a treadmill feels like torture. But on Saturday, May 16, Zach Bitter spent 12 hours, nine minutes, and 15 seconds on a treadmill. That’s how long the 33-year-old ultrarunner needed to break the 100-mile treadmill world record, averaging a 7:18 per mile pace.

Bitter is no stranger to the distance or that speed. Back in August, he captured the 100-mile world record on an indoor track in Wisconsin, finishing in 11:19:13—nearly an hour faster than he did on Saturday—with an average pace of 6:48.

However, though the distances were the same, the approach and execution were completely different this time around.

“The biggest thing was that I needed mental refreshers,” Bitter told Runner’s World. “On the track, I felt anxious if I stopped, like I was wasting time. On the treadmill, it was almost necessary to break, even if I was just switching treadmills.”

Bitter, who had two NordicTrack X22i Incline Trainers treadmills set up in his home for the event, didn’t do many test runs ahead of the event. He did know that the machines would time out after a few hours, so he switched between the two. Also, that gave him a safety net in case one malfunctioned.

He and his wife Nicole, who served as a one-woman crew for him, only ran into two issues. Because they were running the two treadmills, two camera setups, a fan, and an air conditioner in the room, they underestimated how much power was needed.

As a result, one of the treadmill’s screens went dark while Bitter was running. The treadmill was still running and counting, but they had to run an extension chord through the house to ease up the power output in the room. Another time, the treadmill briefly stopped counting. Luckily, they noticed and solved the problem.

“We had about four weeks to plan,” he said. “There was plenty of potential for things to go wrong, but luckily, nothing major really happened.”

Overcoming that mental hurdle added an unexpected challenge early on, but a major concern came in the form of under-fueling.

Bitter planned a fueling strategy similar to his strategy during his 100-mile track run last August. But he ran into some problems—the temperature at the indoor track was 60 degrees, a comfortable atmosphere for any run. Despite numerous attempts to mimic that in Bitter’s home with fans and air conditioning, his Phoenix home was more like 70 to 75 degrees throughout the run.

To his surprise, the additional heat wasn’t likely from outside.

“I was talking to Geoff Burns [an ultrarunner and doctoral student in biomechanics] afterward, and he said the one thing I didn’t consider was heat coming from the treadmills,” Bitter said. “Also, since I’m stationary, I’m just swallowing all of my own body heat, because instead of moving like on a track, I’m a little warmer in just a bubble. It was amazing how cool it was even five feet away from it.”

The additional heat meant Bitter was feeling dehydrated in the first couple of hours. Bitter tries to consume only liquid calories when he runs, relying almost entirely on S-Fuel Race+ hydration mix. He was forced to spend the next few hours playing catch-up, consuming electrolyte tabs and boosting his fluid intake to as much as 60 ounces in an hour.

A few hours later, his stomach felt like it was operating normally again.

The early issues were draining, but Bitter still had hours to go on the treadmill. To entertain himself, he would play around with the treadmill paces, typically shooting just above or just below seven-minute pace.

“I just try to keep my mind off the treadmill and the distance,” he said. “If you think too much, you can bite off too much of a chunk at once. It helped to go into a mile at one pace and then switch to another so I could worry about getting through that mile. As the day got longer, I shifted to three or four difference paces within a single mile. Those benchmarks helped me inch closer.”

He also filled his time listening to podcasts, music, and tuning into the live stream to listen to guests like Dean Karnazes, Jamil Coury, and Tim Tollefson talk about his attempt and running in general.

One surprise for fans was the appearance of comedian Bert Kreischer, who Bitter met a few years ago when he appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast for the first time. Kreischer ended up staying on the stream for a couple hours after a seven-mile treadmill run of his own. He spent a lot of time chatting with Courtney Dauwalter, Maggie Guterl, and Sally McRae. All four, along with Bitter’s wife, Nicole, even talked about potentially training Kreischer for a 100-miler himself. It’s still unknown if this will happen, but the trio of female ultrarunners did agree to train him if he did.

“Bert has said he wants to do an ultra,” Bitter said. “He thought about 50 miles in 24 hours on a treadmill. He’s definitely intrigued. I think he’ll do a 50K or 50-miler before he jumps to 100.”

Even with the distractions, the time on the treadmill wore on Bitter. At mile 87, he disappeared into the bathroom for two minutes to eat a lunch-box size bag of Boulder Canyon olive oil and sea salt potato chips.

“I just needed a break from being moved by the machine,” he said. “That was the only solid food I ate during it. In the end, I went through 12 packets of S-Fuel, the potato chips, and eight ounces of soda.”

After earning his second 100-mile world record in nine months, Biller, who stayed ahead of the world-record pace the entire day, he did a couple interviews. When that was finally done, he enjoyed two pounds of ground beef topped with melted cheese and sea salt, and a bag of pork grinds before calling it a day.

“Anything salty and savory,” he said.

A few days after, Bitter is feeling a little better. He isn’t planning to do a long run on the treadmill anytime soon, but due to the Phoenix heat, he will likely be back on it soon for some tempo runs.

Most Olympic marathoners spend their youth focused on running. They join track clubs, compete in national championships, and pursue the sport from an early age.

Julia Mayer’s journey was very different.

Today, Mayer is Austria’s marathon record holder, a multiple national record holder on the roads, and an Olympian. Yet for much of her athletic life, running was not her primary sport.

For 16 years, she played soccer.

Then she discovered something that would change her life.

“I noticed that I was really fast in the fun runs and that it was really, really fun,” Mayer said when reflecting on her transition from soccer to distance running.

What began as curiosity quickly became a passion. She eventually made the bold decision to leave soccer behind and focus entirely on running. It was a move that surprised many people around her, but Mayer believed she had found her true athletic calling.

The decision proved to be the right one.

Within a few years, Mayer developed into one of Europe’s top marathon runners. Her steady improvement carried her from local races to the international stage, where she began rewriting Austria’s record books.

She now holds Austrian records in the marathon, half marathon, and road 10K. Her marathon best of 2:26:08 established her as the fastest female marathoner in Austrian history. Her performances in the half marathon and 10K have further cemented her place among the country’s all-time great distance runners.

Her rise culminated with qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Competing in the Olympic marathon represented the realization of a dream. On one of the most challenging marathon courses ever used for the Olympics, Mayer ran courageously against the strongest field in the world and finished 55th in her Olympic debut.

Behind the scenes, success has come through extraordinary dedication. During marathon preparation, Mayer trains twice a day and covers approximately 200 kilometers, or 124 miles, each week. The workload demands discipline, patience, and a deep commitment to continuous improvement. 

What makes her story especially inspiring is not simply the records or the Olympic appearance.

It is the fact that she found her greatest talent later than many elite runners.

In a sport where athletes are often identified at a young age, Mayer’s journey serves as a reminder that potential does not always reveal itself early. Sometimes it takes years of experience, a willingness to try something new, and the courage to follow a different path. 

The former soccer player who once chased a ball across a field is now chasing history on the roads of Europe.

And according to those closest to her, her best performances may still be ahead.

For runners of every age and ability, Julia Mayer’s story delivers a powerful lesson: it is never too late to discover what you are capable of.

From soccer player to Olympian, her journey proves that remarkable achievements can begin when least expected.

Megan Keith produced the performance of her career in Oslo on Thursday night, shattering one of Scotland’s longest-standing distance running records and cementing her place among Britain’s greatest female 3000m runners.

The 24-year-old clocked a sensational 8:28.35 over 3000m, breaking the Scottish outdoor record that had stood for nearly four decades. In doing so, Keith eclipsed the previous mark of 8:29.02, set by Scottish legend Yvonne Murray back in 1988, ending a record reign that had lasted 38 years.

Keith’s breakthrough run was more than just a national record. The performance also propelled her to third on the UK outdoor all-time list, placing her behind only two of Britain’s most celebrated distance runners — Paula Radcliffe, who leads the rankings with 8:22.20, and Laura Weightman, whose 8:26.07 remains the second-fastest outdoor mark by a British woman.

The significance of Keith’s achievement is amplified by the calibre of athletes she now joins in the record books. For decades, Murray’s mark stood as one of Scottish athletics’ most untouchable records, surviving generations of elite competitors. Keith has now succeeded where many outstanding runners have fallen short, announcing herself as one of the leading distance talents in British athletics.

Her time also compares favourably with the best performances produced indoors. Olympic medallist Laura Muir ran 8:26.41 indoors in Karlsruhe in 2017, underlining just how exceptional Keith’s outdoor effort in Oslo truly was.

The run continues a remarkable rise for the Scottish star, whose progression over recent seasons has transformed her from a promising prospect into a genuine force on the international stage. Running with confidence and composure against elite competition, Keith demonstrated both the speed and endurance required to challenge the very best in Europe and beyond.

With the World Championship season gathering momentum, Keith’s record-breaking display sends a powerful message. Not only has she etched her name into Scottish athletics history, but she has also established herself as a serious contender in one of the sport’s most competitive events.

In Oslo, Megan Keith did far more than break a record. She ended a 38-year wait, climbed into the upper echelon of British distance running, and delivered a performance that may prove to be a defining moment in her career.

British middle-distance talent Phoebe Gill took another significant step forward in her return to top form, producing a determined victory over 800 metres at the Meeting de Marseille in France on Wednesday.

Competing in challenging, wind-affected conditions, the 19-year-old demonstrated both resilience and composure as she held off a late charge from Switzerland's Veronica Vancardo to secure the win in 2:00.81. Vancardo finished just three hundredths of a second behind in 2:00.84, underlining the fiercely contested nature of the race.

While the margin of victory was narrow, the result represented another encouraging milestone for Gill as she continues to rebuild momentum following her injury setback. The young Briton showed impressive race awareness and strength in the closing stages, maintaining her advantage despite the difficult conditions that made fast running a challenge throughout the evening.

The Marseille triumph adds to a growing body of evidence that Gill is steadily progressing toward her best form. Earlier in her comeback campaign, she clocked 2:01.50 for 800m in Bydgoszcz before demonstrating her versatility with a strong 4:05.53 performance over 1500 metres at the BMC Grand Prix meeting in Trafford.

Those performances have highlighted not only her improving fitness but also her ability to compete across multiple distances as she carefully builds her season. The Marseille victory now provides further confirmation that the European junior star is moving in the right direction.

Gill emerged as one of Britain's most exciting middle-distance prospects through a series of breakthrough performances as a teenager, earning widespread recognition for her fearless racing style and remarkable maturity. Injury temporarily interrupted that upward trajectory, but her recent results suggest she is steadily rediscovering the form that made her one of the sport's brightest young talents.

With each race, the signs of progress become increasingly evident. Winning in difficult conditions and under pressure from a quality field is often a stronger indicator than a fast time alone, and Gill's latest success demonstrated exactly those qualities.

As the summer season gathers pace, the Marseille victory offers another confidence boost for the British teenager, whose return continues to gain momentum. If her recent progression is any indication, Gill could soon find herself back among the leading names on the European middle-distance circuit. 

The NCAA Track and Field Championships delivered a moment few could have predicted as Ja’Kobe Tharp produced one of the most astonishing performances in the history of sprint hurdling, rewriting the record books in spectacular fashion.

Competing in the opening round of the men’s 110-meter hurdles, the Auburn star stunned the athletics world by clocking an incredible 12.75 seconds, becoming the first athlete ever to break the 12.80-second barrier. In doing so, he eclipsed the long-standing world record of 12.80 set by Aries Merritt in 2012, a mark that had stood as one of the sport’s most revered achievements for more than a decade.

What makes Tharp’s breakthrough even more remarkable is the scale of his improvement. Entering the championships, the defending NCAA and U.S. champion had recorded a season-best of 13.05 seconds. Yet under the brightest spotlight, he unleashed a performance that exceeded every expectation, slicing an extraordinary 0.26 seconds from his personal best in a race that instantly became one of the greatest ever run.

The achievement sent shockwaves throughout the track and field community. While Tharp arrived in Eugene as one of the leading contenders for the NCAA title, few envisioned a performance capable of redefining the limits of the event. Instead, the American hurdler delivered a race for the ages, combining flawless technique, explosive speed, and impeccable rhythm from the first hurdle to the finish line.

The historic run not only secured his place in athletics history but also transformed the outlook of the championship. With the world record now in his possession, Tharp advances to the final as the overwhelming favorite, carrying momentum that could make an already unforgettable weekend even more extraordinary.

For years, the 12.80 barrier appeared untouchable. On a stunning day at the NCAA Championships, Ja’Kobe Tharp proved otherwise, producing the kind of performance that reminds fans why sport remains so unpredictable. In a matter of seconds, he turned a routine qualifying round into a landmark moment that will be remembered for generations.

The world record no one saw coming is now a reality—and Ja’Kobe Tharp is the man who changed history.

A new chapter in middle-distance running may have begun in Oslo after American teenager Cooper Lutkenhaus produced one of the most remarkable performances of the season, narrowly defeating reigning Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi in a thrilling men's 800m contest at the Diamond League meeting.

The 17-year-old sensation shocked a world-class field by crossing the finish line first in a race that came down to the smallest of margins. After an intense battle over the final metres, Lutkenhaus held off Wanyonyi by just one hundredth of a second, producing a dramatic finish that left the packed stadium in disbelief.

From the opening lap, the pace was relentless as the leading contenders positioned themselves for a fierce showdown. As the athletes entered the home straight, Wanyonyi appeared poised to unleash his trademark finishing kick. However, Lutkenhaus refused to be intimidated, matching the Olympic champion stride for stride before producing a perfectly timed lean at the line to secure a historic victory.

The result marks a breakthrough moment for the young American, who continues to establish himself as one of the brightest talents in global athletics. Defeating an Olympic champion at a Diamond League event is a feat many athletes spend entire careers pursuing, yet Lutkenhaus achieved it before reaching adulthood.

For Wanyonyi, the narrow defeat does little to diminish his status as one of the world's premier 800m runners. The Kenyan once again demonstrated his exceptional class and competitiveness, pushing the race to a world-class standard and forcing his young rival to deliver the performance of a lifetime.

Beyond the result itself, the race offered a glimpse into what could become one of the sport's most exciting rivalries in the years ahead. With established stars and emerging talents now pushing each other to new heights, the men's 800m continues to evolve into one of athletics' most captivating events.

On a memorable night in Oslo, the spotlight belonged to Cooper Lutkenhaus. At just 17 years old, he stood toe-to-toe with an Olympic champion and emerged victorious, announcing himself to the athletics world in spectacular fashion.