The past week, we’ve named the the best athletes, races, kicks, workouts, and interviews of 2017. In the final installment today, I take one last look at the year and hand out some awards. 

Celebration Of The Year: Laura Muir At The European Indoor Championships

There was lots of competition in this category. There was Justin Gatlin bowing down to Usain Bolt after the men’s 100m, Shalane Flanagan’s “f--- yeah!”, and Karsten Warholm’s shocked face. But for this category I wanted to recognize not just exuberance — but persistence. 

After Laura Muir won her race at the European Indoor Championships, an official tried to stop her from taking a victory lap. It’s not entirely clear why this official needed to prevent Muir taking a jog around the 200m track that would take all of two minutes. But there she stood. Initially, Muir looks as confused as the rest of us. She tries to go around the official twice and is blocked. Muir then walks away and it looks like the whole thing will come to an end with no victory lap and just an anticlimactic meander off the track. 

And then Muir turns back around. 

Perhaps she suddenly remembered that she is way faster than this official trying to play defense. She did, after all, just win an European Championship. Unless this woman is one of the four or five people on the planet who are faster than Laura Muir then she is home free. Muir takes off, the official is powerless to stop her and the crowd goes nuts.  

Breakthrough Of The Year: Jordan Hasay

A move up to the marathon completely rejuvenated Hasay’s career in 2017. On the track, she hadn’t made a U.S. team since 2013 and was struggling to find the closing speed to hang with the pace at Diamond League level 5000m and 10,000m races. Then, she switched to the roads and everything changed. In her debut marathon, she finished third in Boston, running the fastest debut for an American woman.

In the fall, she finish third in another marathon major when she ran 2:20:57 in Chicago. Jordan Hasay found her event and she showed she’s capable of competing with the best in the world.  

Jordan Hasay makes Boston Marathon debut a memorable one https://t.co/aWgtnTyZfq pic.twitter.com/6SzywXsbqc

— Boston Herald (@bostonherald) April 18, 2017

Comeback Of The Year: Sally Pearson

It had been a bumpy couple years for Pearson. After winning gold and silver medals in 2012 and 2013, Pearson broke her wrist in 2015 and tore her hamstring in 2016. Both injuries took her out of the major championships. There were certainly questions if Pearson could get back on the podium, particularly with the consistent presence of American women in the event. 

In 2017, she clawed back to the top. First, during the Diamond League season where she turned in some encouraging performances and then in London when she took down all four Americans in the World Championship final. 

Sally Pearson Wins Gold At The World Championships: https://t.co/AkLNtIv98S pic.twitter.com/5iWlirDFXO

— Triple M Sydney (@TripleMSydney) August 13, 2017

Disappointment Of The Year: Men’s 200m 

Men’s 200m, you could have given us so much this year. You could have been the host of Usain Bolt’s last individual race — one where he’d have to hold off the ascendent Christian Coleman and square off one last time with Justin Gatlin. Okay fine, you didn't want to give us Bolt, then you still could let us see Andre De Grasse go for a possible double against 400m runners Wayde Van Niekerk and Lashawn Merritt. 

Instead, we got none of it. 

Of the names listed above, only Wayde Van Niekerk started the 200m in London at the World Championships. Some of the big names missed because of injury; others just didn’t want to race it this year. All the potential for historic matchups and we ended up with a tired Wayde Van Niekerk vs Ramil Guliyev. The race itself ended up being close, but this was another year of the men’s 200m being so far from what it could be. 

Pre-race Introduction Of The year: Devon Allen Before The World Championships

I’m not sure the official name for this finger trick, but I’ve certainly never seen it on the start line of a major championship. Props to Allen for keeping a straight face during the whole thing. 

Devon Allen...my new hero....what a don pic.twitter.com/Tcbcx70f0I

— Colin Silvester (@tremcol48) August 6, 2017

False Start Of The Year: Joshua Cheptegai 

Okay, this isn’t technically a false start, but Cheptegai did jump the gun in the middle of the World Cross Country Championships. 

He ended up in a place we’ve all been before. The adrenaline is flowing, you are racing in front of a home crowd and you get a bit carried away. Cheptegai’s mid-race move gave him what seemed to be an insurmountable lead. Then, it all unraveled and it went from “He might get caught” to “Is he okay?” 

One moment you are racing for gold, and the next spectators are passing you and offering their help.

Cheptegai’s season did end on a positive note. He finished second to Mo Farah at the World Championships 10,000m and then scared the 15K world record.

False Finish Of The Year: CARIFTA Games 5000m

The CARIFTA Games was the stage for the JV kick to end all JV kicks.

Best Mainstream Running Moment: Christian Coleman

Christian Coleman did yeoman’s work for track athletes and fans when he ran an officially timed 40-yard dash of 4.12. Will this stop the endless debate about athletes from other sports being faster than Olympic sprinters? No, but it sure is satisfying to have a clip handy to send your friend who insists that (insert soccer, football, rugby player here) has the same top speed as Usain Bolt. 

A lot of talk about 40-yard dashes this weekend, so we asked the fastest man in the NCAA @__coleman to run one. pic.twitter.com/CpgWYvqnCI

— UT Track & Field/XC (@Vol_Track) May 1, 2017

Other nominees for this category include The Freeze, kids doing flips during cross country races, and the debate about who could win in a mile between Lebron James and Malcolm Gladwell.

Worst Mainstream Running Moment: The Mad Pooper

This Twitter user brings up a very good point. 

Are we just going to ignore the fact that "The Mad Pooper" was never caught? https://t.co/vT0QjE9j0L via @denverpost

— Brett Forrest (@BrettForrest89) December 24, 2017

Record Of The Year: Ajee’ Wilson

This was a light year for records. In fact, it was the first year since 1907 that there was no official men’s world record. The women were a bit more successful. Joyciline Jepkosgei broke the women’s world record in the half marathon twice. There were also some obscure records — Wayde Van Niekerk in the 300m, Caster Semenya in the 600m, and of course the usual smattering of collegiate records.  

I selected Ajee’ Wilson’s 800m record. It came a bit out of nowhere and she did it in an incredible race in Monaco, setting the stage for her bronze medal performance later in the summer. 

Team Of The Year: University Of Oregon Women

The Ducks completed the back end of their triple crown in 2017, winning titles in indoor and outdoor track. NAU’s men’s cross country team gets a nod for their impressive performance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. 

Three relay performances stand out from World Championships. Trinidad and Tobago upset the U.S. in the men’s 4x400, Great Britain became the finish country other than U.S. or Jamaica to win gold in a 4x100 at a major championship since 2008, and U.S. women won the 4x400 at the World Championships by six seconds.

Relay Leg Of The Year: Sydney McLaughlin 

McLaughlin split a 49.85 at the end of a Swedish relay. Like most, I’m excited to see how McLaughlin as a collegian, but I’m going to miss videos of her flying by high school competition. 

49.85... believe it. @GoSydGo #NBNationals pic.twitter.com/2QCBjyieSM

— Hamza Abdul (@ThereGoesHamza) June 16, 2017

Other nominees include Raevyn Rogers coming up huge for Oregon at the NCAA Championships in the 4x400 and Jareem Richards turning in the fastest split of the meet (43.6) in the World Championships 4x400.