How Hobbs Kessler Broke the Indoor 2K World Record on Just 3 Track Workouts —And Why Winning Means More to Him Than Times

Hello 2026, and goodbye to another longstanding record in the world of professional running. Mr. Versatility himself, Hobbs Kessler, barged into the New Year like a storm and crushed Kenenisa Bekele’s 2,000m Indoor World Record with a 4:48.79 at Boston University on January 24 to set a new standard. (Grant Fisher also beat the World Record time with a still-sizzling 4:49.48.) Hobbs is a one-time World Indoor Championship Bronze Medalist (he earned the bronze medal in the 1500m at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow); a one-time World Road Running Champion (he won the inaugural road mile event at the 2023 World Road Running Championships in Riga, setting a world record at the time); he finished fifth in the 1500m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics); and he is a two-time National Indoor Champion (in 2025, he won U.S. National Indoor titles in both the 1500m and the 3000m). Simply amazing numbers for an athlete who is just 22 years old. If you want to understand where the sport is going, you need to hear from the athletes already living there. And Hobbs is at the frontline of a group of stars ready to etch their names in the history books. Tap into the Hobbs Kessler Special. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I’ll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend! S H O W N O T E S -The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs -Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz