Here are just a few of the many incredible performances from this past weekend.  Oh, what a weekend it was!



Geoffrey Mutai and Moses Mosop Matching 2:03 lows at Boston Marathon
While Boston isn't recognized for world records because of its point to point course layout, the two men just ran 26.2 miles faster than anyone has ever run 26.2 miles in history. Bostonians were treated to history, nonetheless, as the two Kenyans competed ferociously over the final few miles, pulling away from the field and fighting for victory. Mutai was just good enough to hold off the stunning Mosop, debuting in the marathon. Mosop, with huge credibility on the track and in cross country, proved his versatility with this one. Mutai, on the other hand, continues his recent dominance over marathon distance, and becomes an asterisk in the history books.



Desiree Davila 2:22:38 2nd at Boston Marathon
Desiree Davila launched herself into the national (and world) spotlight with her fantastic performance in Boston Monday. Her personal best of 2:27 coming into the race was absolutely shattered, as Davila became the fastest American ever at Boston. Her time of 2:22:38 bested Joan Benoit's previous American course record of 2:22:43 by 5 seconds. As a user perfectly articulated in our crack recap, Davila's form never broke … not even in the final 400 meters. We were all on the edge of our seats when she made the turn onto Boylston and flirted with victory. From a spectator's perspective, Davila actually looked much more under control in the final 600 than Kilel (the winner). But Kilel's top-end speed was just a touch superior, and Desi just missed performing one of the greatest upsets in Boston Marathon history. Regardless, Davila leaves Boston with long overdo national fame and the title of the fastest American ever at Boston.



Ryan Hall 2:04:58 4th at Boston Marathon
Hall ran like a man on a mission from the gun, as he always seems to do at Boston. Hall seems to feed off of the raucous Boston crowd's energy more than any other runner. At one point, Hall was waiving his arms and calling for the crowd to pump it up. Many detractors will point to the significant tailwind Monday morning, aiding his sub 2:05 performance … but he got 4th in a stacked race. He beat last year's champion in Cheriyout, nearly caught NYC champion Gebremariam, and was fearless enough to go for it against a huge pack of talented Kenyans and Ethiopians. We were all pulling for him to achieve success after such an uncertain period in his life the past several months. His celebration afterward looked like an indicator that he was so pleased to have a strong performance to give credibility to his recent changes.



Charles Jock 1:45.19 Mt. Sac
Although Jock was an All-American last year, it still served as a shock to many to see the UC-Irvine 800 runner glide powerfully to a near 1:44 at Mt. Sac. Jock was chauffeured the first 600 by rabbit Duane Solomon, and had just enough to hold off NCAA indoor champion, Fred Samoei of Alabama. Samoei ran a stellar race as well, closing hard on Jock the final 200, and running an early season 1:45 high. Between this 800 and the 1500's, ot was fun to see some middle-distance races stealing the show in Walnut for a change. Also worth noting is the fact that Jock came through in 50(!) seconds. It should be fun to see Jock (who looks like a frontrunner) and Samoei (with a killer kick, as displayed last week at Texas Relays in the mile) duke it out later this season.



Molly Huddle victory over Jenny Barringer Mt. Sac
This was a race much anticipated going into Sac. Like the women's 800 and 1500 meter races, there were some big names in the field. None were bigger than Huddle and Simpson. The fellow American-record holders gave us exactly what we wanted, an epic dual between two distance giants. Huddle came out victorious, outlasting Simpson and displaying a sharp kick over the final 200 meters. Going into the final 600, Simpson looked perfectly primed for the win, positioned just off Huddle's shoulder and seemingly waiting for a strong final kick to victory. But Huddle would have none of it. Simpson took the lead earlier than anticipated, at about 400 meters, but Huddle hung in. She then asserted herself going into the final turn, turning on the jets and pulling away from Simpson a bit the final stretch. It is battles like these that make Mt. Sac so great every year. Here's to hopefully seeing these ladies compete several more times the rest of the year.



Russell Brown over Solinsky and Batty
This one had such hype going into it, but it actually exceeded expectations. Russell Brown has been respected as a terrific miler since his days at Stanford, but he has turned it up a notch lately, winning huge race after huge race, and becoming an absolute force on big stages. We received over 1500 votes when asked who would win this one. Solinsky received almost half of the votes, while 8% of the voters had confidence in Brown winning the race. Like the women's 5k, this one came down to a great kick, as Brown and Solinsky flew the last 100 meters, giving the crowd a thrilling affair. Brown and Solinsky both ran 3:35's, with Brown just good enough for the win. Miles Batty of BYU, recent two-time champ at NCAA indoors, ran the 3rd-fastest time ever by a NCAA runner in season, with his 3:36 low. He continues to show himself to be the premier NCAA miler in the country.



Verzbicas almost defeats Baddeley in Boston
In the elite mile Sunday morning in Boston, high school phenom Lukas Verzbicas pushed Baddeley all the way to the line (and then a slight push at the line!). In what turned out to be a pretty tactical affair because of the high winds race morning, Verzbicas and Baddeley (along with former Wisconsin runner Craig Miller) battled greatly the final stretch and gave the large crowd on hand a great finish. The BAA miles a three-loop course, with the finish of the race consisting of a tight left hand turn onto Boylston, and a mad dash for no more than about 60 meters. Baddeley said afterward that he made the mistake of not trying to pass Verzbicas earlier (there is a long straightaway with about 300 meters to go which probably would have been ideal). Nonetheless, Verzbicas took advantage of the slow pace, pushed from about 300 out, and almost had enough to hold off the British 3:49 miler. While the times were pedestrian (4:16 for Andy and Lukas), Verzbicas proved that he can mix it up with some big names and that he is not afraid to go for it at that level.

Oh, what a weekend.  I know I am missing about 300 other great performances from the many meets Thursday to yesterday, but you'll have to pardon me, as I am still recovering from the excitement of Boston ... (I think Davila's race may have have given me a small heart attack as she battled down Boylston). Let me know some of the performances that you all (or y'all, here in Austin) thought were outstanding ...

To see more from Boston or to recap all of the coverage from Mt, Sac, check out our coverage pages.