John Thomas Terrier Classic (Fri. 1/26 & Sat. 1/27)

Live results | Schedule | How to watch (requires subscription)

Much hay has already been made over the decision by Boston University meet organizers to split the fastest entries in the men’s 5000m into two, theoretically equal, sections. The long and short of it: the broader structure of track and field competition doesn’t incentivize head-to-head competition in January and no one entered seems to want anything other than a safe and successful attempt at the 13:05.00 Olympic standard.

Nevertheless, Terrier will once again feature a nonstop onslaught of deep heats and fast times up front in the distance and middle-distance races. This year, the men race Friday and the women race Saturday, so don’t get your race times mixed up. We’ll get a peek at studs like Craig Engels and Charles Philibert-Thiboutot in the men’s mile and Stanford standouts Roisin Willis and Juliette Whittaker in the women’s 800m, and of course the traditional guessing-game of how many sub-4 miles the men’s competition will yield. Last year’s total? 15.

Key races: Men and Women’s 5000m

We already posted detailed roundups of the men’s and women’s 5000m fields, but there’s no denying that the longest event of the meet will also feature the biggest fireworks. On the men’s side, last year’s stars of the BU meet series – Woody Kincaid and Joe Klecker – won’t be racing head to head, but Klecker will have to take on a few of his OAC teammates including a pair of hard-kicking mile specialists in Yared Nuguse and Mario Garcia Romo. And after an explosive mile performance of his own last weekend, all eyes will be on Northern Arizona University’s Nico Young in the second heat, but he might not even be the top collegian as two-time NCAA champ Ky Robinson of Stanford is also entered.

In the women’s race, a trio of speedy Ethiopian adidas runners with sub-14:50 PBs – Fantaye Belayneh, Aynadis Mebratu, and Senayet Getachew – will face off with Americans like OAC’s Josette Andrews, Hoka’s Rachel Smith, and steeplechaser Courtney Wayment as American record holder Alicia Monson paces the group for the 14:52.00 Olympic standard. The NCAA stars might get bumped to the second heat in this one, but cross-country stars like NAU’s Gracelyn Larkin and NC State’s Samantha Bush are slated for a rematch on the oval.

Dr. Sander Invite Columbia Challenge (Fri. 1/26 & Sat. 1/27)

Live results | Schedule | How to watch (requires subscription)

The most fun gimmick of the Dr. Sander Invite is that the winners of the men’s and women’s mile races get a guaranteed entry into the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games. Last year’s champs, Drew Hunter and Alicia Monson, aren’t returning to defend, which opens the door for local heroes like Eric Holt or Rob Napolitano to book their tickets to Millrose. In the women’s race, 4:23 miler Helen Schlachtenhaufen headlines the field along with Laurie Barton of the Brooks Beasts. The men’s 800m also features strong international talent and the field events, most notably the men’s long and high jumps and the women’s long jump, feature a strong crop of World qualifiers and former U.S. champs.

Key races: Women’s 800m

We’ll get a fun showdown between 1:58 runners and former teammates Olivia Baker and Allie Wilson. The duo’s outdoor PBs are separated by only 0.04 seconds and they’ve raced head to head a whopping 18 times (not counting heats). Wilson has the lifetime advantage of 14-4 head-to-head, but neither athlete may come out with the win if one of the two Union Athletics Club runners in the field, McKenna Keegan or Michaela Meyer, plays spoiler.

Washington Indoor Invitational (Fri. 1/26 & Sat. 1/27)

Live results | Schedule | How to watch (requires subscription)

The West Coast pros who didn’t want to deal with the BU time change will be headed to Seattle instead this weekend for University of Washington’s home meet. The women’s 1000m features a field of strong milers moving down in distance to open up the season, including U.S. 1500m champ Nikki Hiltz and Australian record holder Jessica Hull. Canadian steeplechase Olympian John Gay will throw down with Eric Avila in the men’s 3000m against a talented field of collegians looking for their NCAA qualifiers.

Key races: Men’s Mile

A veritable army of Huskies past, present, and honorary will once again chase some fast times and season debuts as the UW trio of Joe Waskom, Luke Houser, and Nathan Green hit the 300-meter circuit. They’ll be joined (perhaps paced?) by Olympic champ, veteran racer, and UW assistant coach Matthew Centrowitz as well as 3:54 miler Brannon Kidder. This crew already accounts for 3 of the top 10 NCAA marks of all time and a couple NCAA titles to boot, so expectations are sky-high.