From the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field to the Brussels Diamond League finale to the streets of Berlin and more, the settings for the best races of 2018 were a diverse collection of the sport’s top destinations.

Here are our picks for the top races of 2018.

5. Edward Cheserek’s 3:49.44 Mile At BU Valentine

Edward Cheserek has wowed us on innumerable occasions over the years with his special combination of 10k strength and world-class foot speed, but perhaps no individual Cheserek performance has been as jaw-dropping as his 3:49.44 mile in February in Boston.

Yes, it was a glorified time trial, but the second-fastest indoor mile ever -- behind only the great Hicham El Guerrouj -- warrants a spot here if only for the broader implications. Not only did Cheserek run the fastest mark indoors in over 20 years, but he showed that he’s right on the cusp of becoming one of the best active distance runners in the world.

4. Brussels Diamond League Men’s 5,000m

The men’s 5k was in a slump ahead of the Brussels Diamond League finale on Aug. 31. Not a single person had broken 13:00 in 2018, and Brussels represented the last real opportunity to do it lest a streak of 25 straight years of sub-13:00 would be snapped.

Two Ethiopians -- Selemon Barega and Yomif Kejelcha -- deserve credit for making sure that 2018 would not be a year for 5k infamy by pushing the pace, and for collaborating on one of the best 12-and-a-half lap races the world has ever seen. Eight men broke 13:00 that day, including three under 12:47 in one race for the first time in history. 18-year-old Selemon Barega’s winning 12:43.02 made him the U20 world record holder and fourth on the all-time list.

3. Monaco Diamond League Women’s Steeplechase

This July 20 race had two record-breaking performances that each stood out for their sheer unbelievability. The first, Beatrice Chepkoech’s 8:44.32 steeplechase world record, lopped eight seconds off of the previous record (a mark held by alleged doper Ruth Jebet), which was more than a second-per-lap improvement on the fastest time in history. Suddenly the 27-year-old Kenyan, who had never medaled on the global stage, was far and away the fastest in the event’s history.

The second, Courtney Frerichs’ 9:00.85 American record, marked the first occasion that the 25-year-old beat 2017 world champion and incumbent U.S. record holder Emma Coburn in 12 tries.

2. NCAA Women’s 4x400m Final

The stakes couldn’t have been higher in the 2018 NCAA women’s 4x400m -- the final race ever at old Hayward Field -- as the USC women had to win the relay in order to claim their second-ever national title. At the beginning on the anchor leg, things didn’t look good for the Trojans as they bungled the exchange while trailing Purdue by nearly two seconds.

But then Kendall Ellis took over, creating one of most memorable moments in recent NCAA track and field history. It was a comeback worthy of global attention on its own, but that it meant the difference in USC winning the title made it so much more epic.

You gotta see this! #ncaaTF pic.twitter.com/vT2sSrKkIR

— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) June 10, 2018

1. Eliud Kipchoge’s 2:01:39 Marathon World Record In Berlin

Kipchoge’s 78-second improvement on the marathon world record transcended the sport like no other performance in the history of running has before: the Kenyan’s 2:01:39 in Berlin on Sept. 16 is now widely regarded as one of the greatest individual athletic achievements of all-time. HIs record should stand for a long time; that is unless Kipchoge, still very much in his prime at 34, breaks his own record in the coming years.

Eliud Kipchoge ● 2:01:40 ● World Record pic.twitter.com/iptKtN14k0

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) September 16, 2018