- Richardson and Thomas Medal in 200 Meters Best Fitness Trackers.
- She was the second leg in the mixed 4 x 400-mixed relay. Her team earned a bronze medal, making that her 19th World Championship medal to go with 11 Olympic medals.
- Now Felix turns her attention to other things, like advocating for maternal health for Black women and her shoe company, Saysh.
Allyson Felix gave no thought to being the anchor. Throughout her career, when she’s been on relays, she typically has run the second leg. And for her last race, giving way to the next generation of runners, it was only fitting that she handed off the baton—literally.
The extraordinary professional career of Felix, 36, came to an end on July 15 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, with a bronze medal—her 19th in World Championships competition, to go with her 11 Olympic medals, for an even 30.
She ran the second leg of the mixed 4 x 400-meter relay, a newer event that was first contested on a world stage in 2017 and became part of the Worlds schedule in 2019. Felix took the baton from Elija Godwin and had a large lead down the backstretch as she broke for the inside. The fans at Hayward roared.
“I never really hear too much when I’m running, but tonight I did,” she said after the race in a conversation with reporters under the stadium. “There was a moment where I went for the break [to the inside, after a three-turn stagger] and I heard it and it was really special. It was something I’ll cherish for sure.”
On the final turn, reality caught up. Marileidy Paulina, 25, of the Dominican Republic cut into Felix’s lead and the two were even handing off to the third leg. Felix split 50.15 to Paulina’s 48.47. Vernon Norwood ran a strong third leg, putting the U.S. back in the lead, but the young U.S. anchor, 22-year-old Kennedy Simon, couldn’t quite hold on. In the final steps the Dominican Republic’s anchor, Fiordaliza Cofil, overtook her, then Dutch anchor Femke Bol.
Watch the race below:
The U.S. settled for bronze. A few grumpy fans took to Twitter to discuss why the U.S. didn’t surround Felix with faster athletes, forgetting, as Felix pointed out later, that faster runners have individual events they’re concentrating on later in the meet.
The color of the medal, the details of the race, were irrelevant. American track fans got a chance to celebrate their hero with a proper goodbye.
Now Felix turns her attention elsewhere. In her 30s, she found her footing as more than an athlete. She gave birth to a daughter, Camryn, in 2018. She wanted her long-time sponsor, Nike, to continue to pay her through time off with a newborn, and the company wouldn’t do it.
Felix went public with her story—similar to how Alysia Montaño and Kara Goucher had shared similar experiences—and Nike subsequently changed its policy for sponsored athletes Sarah Lorge Butler.
By then, the relationship with Felix and Nike was forever broken. Felix signed with clothing brand Athleta as a sponsor, and she founded her own shoe company, Saysh, so when she won Olympic bronze last year in Tokyo, she was wearing spikes she designed herself instead of the swoosh.
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She also started advocating for causes important to her—maternal health for Black women, who are more likely to face complications during pregnancy. She funded childcare for women at last month’s U.S. championships.
After finishing sixth in the 400 meters at those U.S. champs, she said the fire was going out, she had “no fight left.” She wanted to turn her attention to her advocacy for mother-athletes and for being present with her daughter, taking her to soccer practice. While this was her last truly competitive event, Felix is setting up an August “street race" Join Runners World+ to keep up with the latest race coverage
But for one more evening, Felix soaked up the appreciation of the fans and patiently answered every question asked of her. Once again, she wore a medal around her neck.
“I’m really happy, and I’m really proud,” she said of her last race. “To run with this team, to end on home soil, I couldn’t have asked for more.”
How to Watch the 2023 World Track Championships is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World Fun Half Marathons, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
