(Photo: Robin O'Neill/Red Bull Content Pool)
2. The new WNBA fan's guide to the playoffs 🏀
"Is it just me or did the WNBA season end when Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever were eliminated from the playoffs?"
"Good question. It's just you."
Who's playing in the finals?
🏀 NY Liberty v. Connecticut Sun/Minnesota Lynx 🏀
After best-of-three games in the early rounds, the semis went to best-of-five — and it was dramatic! Sunday night, the 2x defending champs, the Las Vegas Aces, were ELIMINATED after four games against the New York Liberty.
The Aces still had their core line-up from last year's win, including Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray, and both this year's MVP A'ja Wilson and the Sixth Player of the Year Tiffany Hayes. But a slow start early in the season (and a number of controversies) left them ranked just #4 going into the playoffs and had them facing off against favorites, the Liberty, in the semis. Then, the
Aces' offense simply couldn't overcome the Liberty's strong defensive lineup.
Sun v. Lynx
New York now gets a few days rest, while on the other side of the semi line-up it's tied two games each Minnesota Lynx v. Connecticut Sun — which means it all comes down to Game 5 tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Whoever wins will then play the #1 seed Liberty in a best-of-five finals series!
📺 WATCH: Game 1 of the Finals - Oct. 10 @ 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 on DirectTV, Hulu with Live TV, Fubo, or WNBA League Pass
READ: The WNBA is right on course in its growth chart compared to other major men's leagues
LISTEN: "Playoffs, Payoffs, and Precarious Perspectives" — Sarah Spain talks with reporter Christine Brennan after last week's coverage controversy in the wake of ongoing tensions all season
3. Is the Chicago Marathon harder to get into than Boston?
This weekend over 50,000 runners will take on the Chicago Marathon. While entry into the marathon isn't *only* by qualification — ie. there are a number of ways to get to run it, including a lottery open to anyone! — there are qualification times that *guarantee* you entry into the race.
Those guaranteed qualifying times for 2025 have now gotten even faster than Boston Marathon qualifying times 🏃♀️
We wrote a few weeks ago about how the Boston Marathon had to lower its times by 5 minutes across the board for every age group under 60 because so many people kept applying that they weren't getting in anyway. The Chicago Marathon, though, did a couple things differently for 2025: 1. They moved from 10-year age-groups (30-39) to five-year (30-34 & 35-39), so some people saw bigger changes than other, and 2. They decreased the times by more than five minutes — especially for some age-groups.
For example: A 52-year-old woman used to have to run a 4:20. Now she has to run a 3:50 to get into Chicago! (And she has to run a 3:55 to get into Boston.) But those in their 30s only saw a 10-minute drop in times.
Of course, it's not exactly the same, because any runner can still just enter the lottery for Chicago. In the same way, the New York Marathon actually has some of the hardest qualification times if you want a guaranteed entry — but most people get into New York by just throwing their name in the ring!
SEE: The full 2025 Chicago qualifying times
READ: A good data dive into the gender and age breakdowns (and fairness!) of the Boston Marathon qualifying times
Will the American record fall this weekend?
Along with all those everyday runners, there are also 29 pro women taking on the Windy City. And breaking the American record is certainly the goal for a number of them. Along with 2x champion, Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich, Americans Keira D’Amato, Betsy Saina, Sara Hall, and Emma Bates are definitely aiming for a fast time in what should be fast conditions.
And it sounds like Olympic gold medalist Matt Centrowitz will be pacing them.
WATCH: Sunday, starting at 8:30 a.m. CT/9:30 a.m. ET on NBC Chicago
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