Ladies & gentleman, please welcome back to the B-Mail, Mr. Timothy Rossi. Now part of the 5-Timers Club (for B-Mail contributions), Rossi is here with his top 10 predictions for the sport of running in 2025. As undoubtedly the biggest running nerd in the office (and possibly the world), Himothy is well positioned to take guesses that you can either agree with, our at the very worst, not really fully understand—but still respect.
Let's get into it.
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Racing > Time. People will still get stoked on times, but the narrative is shifting towards head-to-head racing and I think the broader running audience will get in on the wave. Who cares if you run 3:30 for the 1500? Who did you beat? That's what will matter, and let me tell ya - tactical racing is awesome. Lots of fun new rivalries happening and it's only just beginning.
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Your Favorite Runner Will Get Dropped. This is intentionally clickbait-y, but in the post-Olympic Cycle that all major footwear contracts are generally built around, I can guarantee there will be some major shifts in who-sponsors-who (and that will cause a nightmare for all the promo content filmed with athletes in 2024).
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Grand Slam Track will prove how much people really care. I'm all in on the GST model. I think it's what the sport needs: guaranteed racing head-to-head, transparent athlete comms, etc. It's truly great. Now we will see if running fans are willing to invest in and pay for the sport they love so much. The product will be great and I optimistically believe GST will succeed. Count us in.
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Hyrox becomes the next "cool" thing. I guarantee some of your favorite running influencers/athletes/personalities will compete in a Hyrox event... and also run an 100 mile race.
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The speed suit comes to the roads. The future is speed suits. I did 6x1k in a speed suit this morning. It's peak vibes.
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Some random brand will do something really silly to try and break into the running space. Running has always been cool, it's cool right now, and it'll still be cool in the future. That being said, some random brand will try to tap into the current energy in a very silly way.
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We'll have an 8th World Major. South Africa, you up?
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The "super shoes are performance enhancing" conversation will die down. Probably not, but one can dream. Can we shift the focus back to the athletes, please?
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Fans will cheer for Shelby Houlihan. This is not a personal opinion on the broader Shelby situation, but I think fans will welcome her back.
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Shorter races will find the energy marathons bring. This is also my quest. Miles/5ks/10ks are extremely fun to race and to spectate. I hope we can energize other distances and make those accomplishments feel as meaningful as they are.
- Bonus: More athletes will get support. It's going to be gradual, but I'm a firm believer that over time, more athletes at varying levels of the sport will get supported. I'm personally excited to bring back the Unsponsored Project in a bigger way this year and tell some more inspiring stories.
You just received the future from this man.
Let the games begin!
