Below are FloTrack's top women's races of the year:

5. Sha’Carri Richardson’s 10.75 At NCAAs

In a meet replete with fast times, Sha’Carri Richardson’s 10.75 in the 100m at the NCAA Championships was the best. The freshman flew past the field over the last 50 meters and built an insurmountable lead, celebrating before the finish line. Others ran faster in 2019, but Richardson’s run was a hint at what the future could look like in the women's 100m. 

4. Brigid Kosgei Shatters Marathon World Record

Kosgei ran unchallenged in Chicago (her closest competitor was six minutes behind), finishing 2:14:04, bettering Paula Radcliffe’s world record by 1:21. Radcliffe’s mark was already an outlier, with the next closest time coming in the 2:17s. Kosgei’s time defied explanation-- perhaps more so than Eliud Kipchoge’s exploits over the past two years. 

3. Sifan Hassan Completes Historic Double At World Champs With Dominant 1500m Win 

Upon rewatching, I’d forgotten that this race was close at the bell. Hassan was still in the lead, but there were a handful of women in lockstep behind her. With a lesser runner in a world-class 1500m field, this would have spelled doom. The leader is exposed. The leader is vulnerable. The leader gets caught quite frequently. 

But in Doha, the leader just ran away, gaining separation with every stride. 

Hassan won by more than two seconds, crossing the line in 3:51.95, her second gold of the World Championships after her comfortable victory in the 10,000m earlier in the meet. Behind her, there was a significant gap, but also history. Four women broke 3:55. Seven of the 12 finalists ran lifetime bests. Jenny Simpson finished in 3:58 and got eighth. 

2. Naser Runs Stunning 48.14 To Upset Miller-Uibo In 400m

With 150m remaining at the World Championships it became clear, even to the untrained eye, that Salwa Eid Naser could beat Shaunae Miller-Uibo in the 400m. Naser had beaten the Olympic champion before, but Miller-Uibo was a significant favorite heading into the meet. Miller-Uibo had looked sharp all year and was on an inexorable march to chop a couple of tenths off her lifetime best of 48.97. 

In Doha, Miller-Uibo ended up PRing by .6, a huge margin. And it still wasn’t enough. 

Naser ran the race of her lifetime--and the race of the past three decades. She jumped out to an early lead and held on down the final stretch. Her time of 48.14 was the third-best in history, and a stride better than Miller-Uibo.  

1. Muhammad Holds Off McLaughlin And Breaks World Record

This race had everything on track fans' wish list--a big stage, a historically fast time, and a tight finish. In the final of the 400m hurdles at the World Championships, Dalilah Muhammad and Sydney McLaughlin combined for their closest race at the apex of the season. Muhammad ran 52.16, breaking her own world record of 52.20 that she set at the US Championships. 

But unlike at USAs, she had pressure in the final meters from McLaughlin. The 20-year-old closed hard in the final 50 meters and kept the outcome in doubt until the line. Her time of 52.23 is the third-best in history. Only Muhammad has run faster. It was a special race, but one that seems like it could be replicated on an even bigger stage in Tokyo in 2020.