Breakfast Club: April 19. 2021

breakfast club
weekly running roundups 

Photo: Brooks Running.

Des reigns in Oregon 

Two-time Olympian and Boston Marathon champ Des Linden added another notch in her belt last week, smashing the world record in the 50K. Her time of 2:59:54 made her the first woman to run under three hours in the distance. (YouTube/CBS Boston, Women's Running)

Given the low-key nature of the race, the acclaim for Des's performance may seem surprising on its face: there was little hype and minimal video coverage; the event was basically a time trial on a flat trail outside Eugene. But the result only affirms Des as the people's champion in American distance running. The 50K record was a creative way to bounce back from the competitive stasis of the pandemic and it's intriguing to think about Des tackling longer distances like Comrades Marathon or beyond.

Here are a few more stories from the 50K in Oregon:

• Chirine Njeim ran 2:36 to set a Lebanese national record in the marathon. (Instagram)

• Linden's marathon sp…