Isaac Updike, a 33-year-old professional runner from Ketchikan, will race at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in the 3,000-meter steepelchase.
In a breaking news post on Instagram on Friday, Aug. 29, Citius Mag announced Matthew Wilkinson, Updike’s teammate with Under Armour, would not run at worlds because Wilkinson fractured his fourth metatarsal at the steeplechase final of the U.S. Track and Field Championships on Aug. 2.
That freed up a spot for Updike to compete at worlds for the second time. In 2023, he made the steeplechase final in Hungary and finished 16th.
The steeplechase nationals final Aug. 2 was the low point in a career season for Updike.
He opened his season June 14 with a personal record of 8 minutes, 13.64 seconds, to win at the Portland Track Festival on June 14. That win also gave Updike the worlds qualifying standard of 8:15.00.
He followed that with an 8:13.68 to win the Sunset Tour in Los Angeles on July 12.
Updike finished fifth in the steeplechase final at nationals in 8:30.15. It was Updike’s seventh national final.
The top three earned spots at worlds, but only if they had hit the qualifying standard.
Kenneth Rooks, who won silver in the event last year at the Olympics, won his third straight U.S. steeple title and had the qualifying standard.
Daniel Michalski was second in the race and didn’t have the qualifying standard, but he slipped under that mark at 8:14.07 at the NACAC Championships in the Bahamas on Aug. 17.
Benard Keter was third at nationals and did not have the qualifying standard. He failed to get that qualifying standard at the Brussels Diamond League meet Aug. 22, running 8:16.11.
The third spot at worlds then went to Wilkinson, who was fourth at nationals and had the qualifying standard. When Wilkinson bowed out due to injury, Updike made Team USA.
Shaking off his performance at nationals, Updike went on to run better than ever in Europe in August.
At Meeting voor Mon in Belgium Aug. 16, he ran 3:37.04 for 1,500 meters.
According to Alaska Sports Report, that time made Updike the fastest Alaskan at that distance, beating the 3:37.98 of Kodiak’s Trevor Dunbar in 2017.
At Brussels Diamond League Aug. 22, Updike finished third and lowered his personal record to 8:10.59, moving him up to No. 9 in U.S. history.
Updike came into this season with a PR of 8:17.69, which he ran in 2023 at nationals to finish third and make Team USA.
According to Alaska Sports Report, that time also lowered Updike’s Alaska best in steeplechase.
The performance at Brussels also qualified Updike for the Diamond League finals in Switzerland on Aug. 28, where he finished sixth in 8:19.47.
Updike could have earned a spot at worlds by winning the Diamond League finals, but the next day he got that spot anyway with the withdrawal of his teammate.
Worlds are from Sept. 13 to 21, with steeplechase prelims starting on the first day.
