Great race by Callum Hawkins in the Great Scottish Run, smashing his PB to win, beating Moses Kipsiro in 60:24 - a Scottish record, Course record & 2nd on the UK all-time list. He covered the last 5k in about 14 mins flat. Chris Thompson also running well - 4th in 61:58.

Dibaba was a DNS in the women's race. Betsy Saina (5th in the 10k in Rio) won easily in 67:22. Good run by Lily Partridge in 4th, 71:39. Beth Potter 5th in 72:07 PB.

Was out volunteering at Cardiff Half so just catching up on Callum's performance. Great stuff - after some decent performances this year I'm looking forward to seeing what he does in 2017 & beyond.

Dewi Griffiths set a PB as the top home athlete at the Cardiff Half.

It has been a great day for half-marathons on British soil as the winners of the Cardiff Half (Shadrack Korir - 1:00:54 PB and Violah Jepchumba - 1:08:14) also broke the corresponding course records.

Must say I wasn't expecting Hawkins* (the first Scotsman to win for 33 years^) to run a sub-61 today - and neither did he, apparently! To put it in context, Mo has run faster than 60:24 in just two record-legal races (the GNR doesn't count).

Liz McColgan believes he can break the UK marathon record by 2020. Once the off-season is done, he will no doubt target selection for the 2017 WCh marathon.

[* Just outside the top five on the all-time European list]
[^ It was a marathon at the time - the current format goes back to 1991]

More to tide everyone over until track starts again ...

Sporting Witness episodes (all about 10 mins) from the World Service -http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00j...pisodes/player

There's loads of athletics-related ones amongst a ton of other fascinating stuff.

Chicago Marathon this weekend. The Chicago course has been the World Record course a couple of times, including GBR's own Steve Jones in 1984, 2:08:05, which is still the British record. Few observers are expecting much of a British challenge this time.

Information about the elite field here.

https://www.chicagomarathon.com/pres...athlete-field/

This seems to be the official site for the live host stream, you might need some ingenuity to get round a geo-block.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/on-air/as-...129648223.html

Best not comment on this one.

Pole vault world champion Shawn Barber was right to compete at the Olympic Games despite earlier testing positive for cocaine ingested during a sexual encounter, says Athletics Canada.

Many lurid details here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/37581301

Does anyone buy his story or like me do you think it's likely he had a line or 2 himself?

Just as well he didn't win a medal in Rio really.

It's Dennis Mitchell all over again.

You mean to say that you have no faith in Scott Overall?

Steve Jones improved the British Record to 2:07:13 the following year in Chicago, just one second outside the new WR of 2:07:12 (Carlos Lopes). Crazily, he went through half-way in 61:44 which was just 49 seconds slower than the then World Best for a half-marathon! That would be like someone going through the half-way stage in 59:12 today.
In interviews since he said he never raced with a watch and had no idea that he was going so fast, and no idea until he saw the clock over the finish-line that he was so close to the WR.

Sunday's race is also live on NBCSN (NBC Sports Network) - plenty of links for that across the net.

Or Richard Gasquet

Nothing on British TV? The BBC used to show it when Paula Radcliffe was competing.

Eurosport used to show the top Autumn Marathons but nothing so far this year. They may still show New York of course.

They have Amsterdam next weekend.

Maybe an example of how short term drugs bans just don't work?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37621685

Jess Ennis-Hill retires.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/37641093

Great career (and could have won even more but for injuries early on)

As expected! She had some fine moments.

One of our greats, will always be remembered for the that amazing 100m Hurdles in the first athletics event in London 2012. Had all the pressure in the world on her shoulders, and ran the perfect race. One of the top 10 British Olympic moments, I reckon.

I don't think her heart has really been in it since she won London 2012, and doesn't fancy hanging on another year just to come second to Thiam again.

Would have been great if Jess had done 1 more year and finished in London but she has more than earned the right to retire on her own terms.

Was lucky enough to be in the Olympic Stadium on Super Saturday & the 1st Morning session where she ran that 12.54 hurdles - kind of a shame she's retired without running hurdles at a major champs too.

One of the greats of British Athletics & I would say our greatest female athlete.

I get the shivers and / or goosebumps thinking about that race.

You could have cut the tension / atmosphere with a knife, the gun went and she flew.

What a magnificent sight she was in full flow and always a delight in interviews.

Well done Jess and good luck for the future.

I disagree.

If that were the case, she'd wouldn't have gone to the trouble of contesting the hep in her last two majors. Even in the 2015 Hypo-Meeting (her first hep after 2012), she wouldn't have kept BTE at bay in that 800m if she was merely going through the motions, given that Brianne had the win sown up at that point.

Anyhow...like many here, I also remember that 100mH - without doubt, it was an 'I was there' moment for those lucky enough to be in the stadium that day.

Agreed. She was the poster girl of our games, with years of built up expectation that she would deliver at Britain's biggest ever spectacle-and lets face it the Heptathlon isn't just about one event, its seven chances to fail spectacularly. That she carried off the glory like that when it mattered so totally is up there with sports greatest achievements imo.

A magnificent career! Thanks for the memories, Jess!

Wonder what she'll do next? No doubt she'll get a ton of good offers but I expect she'll just want to 'chill' with Reggie for a while, at least until he starts school.

Any chance of her taking Denise's job?

She's got that job at Banco Santander, of course.

I'm not sure that punditry will be where Jessica's talent lies (and it's not where Denise's talents lie either)