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Completely forgot to put a VOTE post in last weeks. But now that the outdoor season is starting, we might as well look at someone you’re going to see a lot of.

Laura Muir

Quick Info

PBs

Bio

Our Laura’s career is relatively short so far, but still very powerful. She’s young, only 23, and still in university looking to get a degree in veterinary medicine. She is currently taking a year off to focus on racing.

Her international debut was in 2011, where she ran the European XC Championships, where she placed 30th in a 4km race (14:06) to help the Great Britain Junior team win Gold.

In the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Laura ran the 800m, reaching the semi-finals with a 2:00.83. She went to the 2014 Worlds in Poland as well, where she ran a 2:02 in the 800m, which didn’t get her out of the heats round. At the 2014 Paris Diamond League in July, she ran the 1500m, breaking a 27-year old Scottish record to cross the line at 4:00.07, placing 6th. She also competed in the 2014 Commonwealth Games (11th - 4:14) as well as the 2014 European Championships (heats - 4:14).

In 2015, her times at these championships may not show it, but she began racing better. At the 2015 European Indoor Championships, she placed 4th in the 3000m (8:52), and at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, she placed 5th in the 1500m (4:11).

In 2016, she started really breaking out. At the 2016 Olympic Park Diamond League in London she ran a 3:57 1500m to win the race, also breaking the British record.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Laura ran the 1500m (video). Laura is typically a front-runner, but dropped to dead last at the beginning even with an extremely slow start (first 400m in 76s). After a lap, Laura must have got bored, and went from last to first in half a lap, causing a full sprint with two laps to go. With a huge gap between her and everyone else, Laura sat in 3rd up until 200m, when she ran out of gas and was passed by Jenny Simpson (and then a bunch of others), crossing in 7th place (4:12).

However, very soon after in late August, she lowered that time to 3:55, winning the Paris Diamond League 1500m. At the Zurich Diamond League a week later, a 2nd place finish to Shannon Rowbury secured her the third ever British title in the Diamond League (3:57).

Laura also ran the 5th Ave Mile, going head to head with Jenny Simpson, leading at the half mile, but barely being edged out at the finish line, placing second with a 4:18.4, .1 seconds behind Jenny.

In the 2017 indoor season, Laura absolutely tore it up in a season that is traditionally not focused on. In January, she broke the British Indoor 5000m record (14:49) in her second time ever running that distance, running 16 laps completely by herself in the front. She then broke the British 1000m at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix (2:31.93, under 1 second from the world record) in February. And at the 2017 European Indoor Championships in Belgrade, she won gold at the 1500m, breaking the championship record (4:02), and followed that up with a gold in the 3000m the next day, becoming the second UK athlete to win two Indoor titles at the same event.

Doping History

None

Controversies

None with Laura directly, the 1500m Rio race had a lot. For background, 6 of the 9 London 2012 women’s 1500m runners have since been caught doping. When asked, Laura did say “I have my doubts” about the legitimacy of the 2016 Rio results, suggesting her placement could be upgraded in the future. Most of the controversy resides around Genzebe Dibaba, her coach having been caught with EPO and a whole bunch of substances in his suitcase, and Dibaba herself running a 1:57 final 800m (which would have come close to placing in the open 800m).

Training and Nutrition

• Two years ago, Laura and her coach’s primary focus was on Tokyo 2020, where she thought she could “deliver” on her training. It’s pretty clear that they missed by a few years, but her primary focus is still Tokyo.

• Short walk the day before a race, and a “lie-in” the day of. I assume this is British for “sleeping late” but who knows with them, amirite?

• Laura only runs 40 to 50 miles per week when training for the 1500m. This is 10-20 fewer than most of her rivals.

  The mix of fast- and slow-twitch fibers that she has gives her the ability to spring and also run a marathon. I’ve never seen someone with that sort of capability.
  Think the endurance of Radcliffe with the speed of Holmes, but without the injuries.

• Laura takes iron and magnesium, but avoids pills in general, including ibuprofin.

Anecdotes to tell your friends

• Laura Muir Victory Lap.

• Laura’s first payday, when she won the Highland Games at age 11, won her £120, which she used to buy her pet rats a larger cage.

• This article, titled “Animal Crackers”, is what looks to be an official subdomain of the IAAF, Spikes, and is basically just a fluff piece on Laura filled with punny sections such as “Dog Tired”, “Rat Race”, and “Husky Dibaba”. I can’t really say if it’s worth reading but it certainly is an interesting direction for the IAAF.

Upcoming Races

• Prefontaine Classic (1500m confirmed) - May 27

• Probably some other Diamond League races

• Plans to double the 1500m and 5000m at the London Worlds in August.

1. Anecdotes/stories you’d like to share? Thoughts on Laura in general?
   
2. Do you think you have mostly fast-twitch, mostly slow-twitch, or a healthy combo of both? How's your short distance speed? What about your end of race “kick”?
3. Do you follow the Diamond League? Are you planning on it this year? Did you know Doha is in 3 days?
4. Anything else you’d like to add?