RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. RunBlogRun is the voice of the sport.
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A very good read…
Oct 25, 1760. London. King George II dies suddenly at Kensington Palace, and his 22 year old grandson becomes King George III. Sixteen years later, Thomas Jefferson would list his crimes in the Declaration of Independence.
The old king's death wasn't dignified. He got up early that morning, had his hot chocolate, went into his private closet, and collapsed. His heart had given out. He was 76.
His grandson, George, was very different from the Hanoverian kings before him. His great-grandfather and grandfather had been born in Germany and were more interested in their German territories than in Britain. George III was the first of the dynasty born in England, and he spoke English as his first language. In his first speech to Parliament he proudly said he gloried in the name of Britain.
He took over at a great moment. Britain was in the middle of winning the Seven Years' War, the French and Indian War in America. When it ended in 1763, Britain had taken Canada from France and Florida from Spain. The empire had never been bigger.
It had also never been more in debt. Paying for that war, and for troops to guard the new territory in America, was what led Parliament to start taxing the colonies. The Sugar Act. The Stamp Act. The Townshend duties. The Tea Act. George supported Parliament's right to do it, and when the colonies resisted, he backed a hard line.
At first many Americans blamed Parliament and his ministers, not the king himself. By 1776 they'd given up on him. The Declaration of Independence was written as a list of charges against George personally: a tyrant, unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
He took losing America hard. After Yorktown he even drafted a message abdicating the throne, though he never sent it.
But in 1785 he met John Adams, the first ambassador from the independent United States. George told him he had been the last to agree to the separation, but now that it was done, he would be the first to welcome the friendship of the United States as an independent power.
He reigned for nearly 60 years, longer than any British king before him. In his later years he suffered terrible bouts of mental illness and spent his last decade blind and isolated at Windsor Castle. He died in 1820.
Today he's remembered in America as the villain. He was just a young man who inherited a giant empire and lost the most important part of it.
Big day at #MainovaFrankfurt marathon with record crowd of 19,000 plus!
Ethiopians Jirata Dinki and Zeineba Yimer took the 43rd edition of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon with 2:05:26 and 2:19:45 respectively.
A record number of 19,720 runners from 128 nations entered the 43rd Mainova Frankfurt Marathon.
#FrankfurtMarathon
Two new World records for Marathon Race Walk!
A historic day for marathon race walking 🌟
🇦🇺’s Rebecca Henderson clocked 3:14:52 to better the women’s world record, while 🇯🇵’s Masatora Kawano made history with the inaugural men’s world record of 2:55:14.
Read the flash report 👉 bit.ly/4kcP8yr
📸 JAAF/Ikumi KODAMA
Thanks to @d9monti for alerting us winners of #21KValencia and 2024 #tcsnycmarathon are two different runners with same name spelling!
So there's no confusion, the Sheila Chepkirui who won the #21KValencia today (left) is not the same athlete who won the #TCSNYCMarathon in 2024 (right) and the Nagoya Women's Marathon in 2025 & 2026.
Congrats to Gianmarco Tamberi, the 2026 EA #GoldenTracks award winner. Watch Jimbo at a meet, really watch him and you will become a fan of the high jump!
RunBlogRun retweeted
Hard disagree. Radcliffe’s Edmonton in-stands protest against drug cheats, and persistent campaigning for enhanced blood profiling, universal biological passports, and regular sample refrigeration to prove performance legitimacy suggest to me she is a clean athlete.
Congrats @Brewers ! What a comeback! It was so much fun to watch! What a great game!
COMEBACK CREW!
The @Brewers erase a 4-0 deficit and take a 2-0 #WorldSeries lead!
ALT Final score: Tampa Bay Rays 4, Milwaukee Brewers 5 World Series 2026 presented by Capital One Brewers lead series 2-0 Pictured: Sal Frelick is amped up after his game-tying homer Saturday night in Milwaukee
Coffee with Larry, October 17, 2026, Episode 951, Digging deeper into Bank of America Chicago , by Larry Eder, phtoos by Bank of America/Kevin Morris, runblogrun.com/2026/10/coffe… , @chimarathon, @bankofAmerica, @nikerunning,
Less than one week left for applications for the 2027 @chimarathon ! Register at chicagomarathon.com/apply !
Want to run the 2027 Bank of America Chicago Marathon? Well, time is running out! Apply here (applications close 10/29/26): letsdothis.com/us/checkout/t…, #bankofAmericachicagoMarathon,
Danny Mackey Explains it All, 3/3: Tactics at the 10k, from the RBR Archives , photos by #Brooks, runblogrun.com/2026/10/danny… , #dannymackey, #brooksbeastsTC, #10000meters, #racingtactics,
Danny Mackey Explains it all, 2/3: Simulation in Workouts, from the RBR Archives , by Larry Eder & @theshoeaddicts, runblogrun.com/2026/10/danny… , #dannymackey, #brooksbeaststrackclub, #800simulations, #300meters, #BrandonMiller, #BrannonKidder, #JoshKerr, #WaleedSulieman, #ValaryTobias, #ValarieiScheinBecker, #MartaPenFreitas,
Danny Mackey Explains it All, 1/3,: 5k and 10k Tactics, from the RBR Archives! by Larry Eder and @theshoeaddicts, runblogrun.com/2026/10/danny…, @dtmack , @brooksbeasts, #coaching, #5k, #10k, #Racetactics,
RunBlogRun retweeted
Kathleen Hayes Finishes the 100 Half Marathons Challenge - From West Covina, California:
Congratulations to 50 States Half Marathon Club member, Kathleen Hayes from West Covina, California, for completing the 100 Half Marathons Challenge, in October 2026! Kathleen is a Life Membership member of our 50 states running club, and has been a member for over nine years!
#halfmarathon #halfmarathons #100halfmarathons #100halfmarathonschallenge #100halfmarathonsfinisher #50stateshalfmarathonclub #running #fitnessgoals #fitness #fitnesschallenge #runcation
ALT Kathleen Hayes Finishes the 100 Half Marathons Challenge - From West Covina, California: Congratulations to 50 States Half Marathon Club member, Kathleen Hayes from West Covina, California, for completing the 100 Half Marathons Challenge, in October 2026! Kathleen is a Life Membership member of our 50 states running club, and has been a member for over nine years!
Wudinesh Alemu shown running a World U20 best of 66:35 for the half marathon at the #DelhiHalfMarathon!
Thanks for all of the great comments and thoughts. Many people love the sport, but @aiu_athletics and @worldathletics still have a long way to go to earn sports fans' trust. Also, I would be remiss if I did not say the following: several have pointed out the hypocrisy, going after African athletes and not saying anything about athletes from the US, Europe, and Asia.
I was also called out for not questioning @paulajradcliffe. Record breakers have always shocked the world with their performances. We just need clean performances, and is that possible?
Truth is, in marathons, most winners in elite races are Kenyans and Ethiopians. Can testing be done in a way that you, as a sports fan, can trust the system?
One wonders what the Women's marathon record truly is! Look at how many women have been busted who ran 2:16 or under! I believe it is 2:12-2:14. Truth is, AIU is busting more cheaters, especially in Kenya. I suspect that testing needs to pick up in Ethiopia. It is obviously not the shoes that make a difference, but EPO, which still seems to be the drug of choice. In 2014, I broke the news about #RitaJeptoo, who was about to take a big check from #WorldMarathonMajors. Until the punishments are so draconian (all money returned to sponsors and races) and the shame of being named a cheater, we will continue to see these posts nearly every day. @aiu_athletics is doing a better job, but big-time cheaters persist? Where do you think the women's world record for the marathon is, and by that I mean non-dopers? Do we go back to Paula Radcliffe's WR and start all over? This takes away legitimacy from women's elite marathoning. It damages the sport and terrifies sponsors. What do you think?
Dear sports fans! Thanks for all of your comments. What do you think non doped WR for women’s marathon is?
RunBlogRun retweeted
Great response thanks Gaia!
Once again Athletics is mired in controversy and receiving the wrong kind of publicity. 2026 was a year of superlative performances. So for the year to end with more suspensions is beyond disappointing. To restore credibility to athletics the sports administrators need to rethink. Putting the onus on the infrastructure supporting the athletes would result in fewer instances. In my view the athlete is all too often the dupe not the initiator. Sponsors, Agents and Coaches should have more accountability.
Removing the offenders ability to compete internationally for five years should focus the athlete’s attention on the team they assemble around them.
I would like to propose the following;
Establish an international database of authorised coaches.
All coaches of national level athletes to sign up to an internationally recognised code of conduct.
A breach of the code of conduct by coach or athlete would incur an immediate suspension and loss of access to international competition.
A one-year suspension of the athlete’s representative followed by a lifetime ban for any subsequent infringement.
Make regular in and out of competition testing a responsibility of shoe and clothing sponsors.
A momentary act of selfish indulgence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste, consider every action, and from the outset think how this could end.
