Diamond League is back, Birnbaum 1:44, Valby's return, Gout Gout, Hocker vs Fisher

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The 2026 Diamond League season kicks off Saturday in Shanghai as the outdoor track calendar heats up. Oregon's Simeon Birnbaum lowered his 800m PB to 1:44.67, strengthening his case as NCAA 1500 favorite despite a 12-man curse on NCAA record holders. Australia's Gout Gout got a 60 Minutes profile, reigniting debate about sprint phenoms and Erriyon Knighton's four-year trenbolone ban. The hosts preview a loaded Diamond League season, debate whether Cole Hocker or Grant Fisher will finally win a DL meet, rank teen phenoms Lutkenhaus, Myers, and Gout Gout, and ask whether any world records will fall in 2026. Late-breaking news: Parker Valby enters the Sound Running 5K for her first outdoor track race since the Paris Olympics.

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LINKS

• LRC Who Wins in a 250 Mile Race: Rachel Entrekin or Sabastian Sawe?
• Gout Gout on 60 Minutes (YouTube)
• Gout Gout on 60 Minutes (LetsRun Forum)
• Simeon Birnbaum 1:44.67 PB at Oregon Invite
• Marco Langan 3:32.79 at Azusa Pacific, #2 in NCAA History
• Mike Holloway Interview on Botswana Doping
• Rae Edwards on Shoe Companies Supplying Drugs
• Kenny Bednarek on Grand Slam Track (Front Office Sports)
• What if they ran marathons at night?
• Cooper Lutkenhaus Podcast Interview
• Simeon Birnbaum Podcast Interview
• Diamond League 2026 season preview and predictions article on LetsRun.com
• Grant Holloway injury update (Instagram)
• Parker Valby Sound Running Invite entry
• Bodey Lutes breaks Prefontaine's 800m record

TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 Supporters Club Promo and Intro
• 00:55 Welcome and Episode Preview
• 06:35 Simeon Birnbaum's 800m PB and the NCAA 1500 Curse
• 12:18 Bicarb, Super Shoes, and the 800m Revolution
• 16:03 Birnbaum as Centro 2.0 and Marco Langan's 3:32
• 23:00 Bodey Lutes: The New Fastest Runner From Coos Bay
• 26:22 Wilma Nielsen's Oregon Debut and Quincy Wilson's Hurdles
• 29:07 Gout Gout Gets the 60 Minutes Treatment
• 35:42 Gout Gout vs Erriyon Knighton and the Name Factor
• 37:53 Erriyon Knighton's Doping Ban and the Trenbolone Cases
• 38:30 Mike Holloway on Botswana Doping
• 40:41 The USADA vs WADA Battle Over Knighton's Case
• 46:02 Diamond League Season Preview and Cole Hocker vs Grant Fisher
• 50:36 Grand Slam Track and Athlos Updates
• 56:23 Who Will Be the Best Men's 1500 Runner in 2026
• 60:56 Teen Phenom Rankings: Lutkenhaus, Myers, and Gout Gout
• 67:04 Will Any World Records Fall in 2026
• 71:18 Femke Bol's Move to the 800 Meters
• 75:22 Josh Hoey Concerns and Top US 800m Runner
• 80:19 The Athing Mu Mystery
• 82:18 Shanghai Diamond League Preview and Sign-Off
• 85:50 Parker Valby Enters the Sound Running 5K

CONTACT

• Email: podcast@letsrun.com
• Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running.

The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. Together they move beyond PR headlines to provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.