5k Americans

[5k Guy]

Anyone want to speculate who the top Americans at 5k will be in 2004.

Who are the favorites to make the team. If Kennedy goes 10k and Meb, Browne and Culpepper do the Marathon and/or 10k who are the favorites at 5k.

Who are the young up and comers at this distance.
Will Webb and Robison move up in a few years?

[hjsteve1.97]

Re: 5k Americans

Lets go Ritz !

[15mph]

Re: 5k Americans

Torres is the class of this field since he made the finals in Paris. Besides he already has the "A" standard from last year.

[joeshmoe]

Re: 5k Americans

He does??? last i checked, the standard is unchanged, at 13:21.50 which puts torres 13:24 a wee bit outside "juuuuuuust a bit outside" as the commercial goes. our only a standard guy is bob, too bad he probably won't run it. be great if he did though.

shmoe

[Jackman]

Re: 5k Americans

Then I suggest US 5k runners get faster.

How many more strike outs is the Nike farm team going to produce.

[Run DMC]

Re: 5k Americans

5K - Torres looks great. Tim Broe could step up. What happened to Goucher?

Meb should definitely be in the 10K, not the marathon. He has the ability and the times, but has not peaked correctly for a World Championship. The same may be true for Culpepper although his marathon is stronger.

[Jackman]

Re: 5k Americans

I hear Meb has a nagging injury. I hope another top US runner does not hit the skids. Boe is just overcoming surgery. He showed guts last year winning the US 5k championships while injuried.

[Jackman]

Re: 5k Americans

I hear Meb has a nagging injury. I hope another top US runner does not hit the skids. Boe is just overcoming surgery. He showed guts last year winning the US 5k championships while injuried.

[Speedplay]

Re: 5k Americans

Here's my not so long-shot all ILLINOIS U.S. 5000m team:

Torres-Broe-Sage

(and, Robert Gary takes fourth and Spivey comes out of retirement to take fifth

[Helen S]

Re: 5k Americans

What is going on with Matt Lane? Two years ago I might have thought he would be in this mix, but did not seem to run as well last year.

[Brian]

Re: 5k Americans

>How many more strike outs is the
>Nike farm team going to produce.

Future success relies on a base foundation being built, which is happening by the presence and effort of good clubs such as The Farm Team and progressive schools like Colorado. Tomorrow's Ritz builds on today's Torres builds on yesterday's Goucher (not that any of these guys are done yet!).

US distance running didn't go downhill overnight. Accordingly, it takes more than one athletic generation to rebuild.

Have patience: by the time most of us on this board are financially secure enough to travel to a lot of places to watch, there will be plenty of US distance runners to see.

[H Watkins]

Re: 5k Americans

>US distance running
>didn't go downhill overnight. Accordingly, it takes more than one athletic
>generation to rebuild.

Tell me exactly what giants there were in the USA prior to Gerry Lindgren? You speak as if it was anything but a one-generation abnormality for Americans to actually be good at distance running. This group is merely returning to the norm of the last 120 years or so.

[Brian]

Re: 5k Americans

>You speak as if it was anything
>but a one-generation abnormality for Americans to actually be good at distance
>running. This group is merely returning to the norm of the last 120 years or
>so.
Exactly what I'm saying.

To go beyond that norm requires a firm foundation as far as talent and development of same, something the US has never truly had, outside of brief success with Greater Boston, New Balance, Athletics West, etc. of the early eighties.

Whether you can see it right now or not, these clubs are an improvement in the status quo. The next step is to build on these efforts, something Masback, USATF, et al have to get on board with for the long term result to meet any possible potential.
[In my opinion, they have to go beyond simply catering to this "Michael Jordan/celebrity" ideal which makes sponsors happy but focuses ONLY on the already-established stars. But this is another story...]

But as in anything requiring sustained long-term effort, it will take time and there will be set-backs. If you just want to be a negative sh*t trashing people and waiting to say, "I told you so," that's your choice and your problem.

[Jackman]

Re: 5k Americans

Has Sage ever run a sub 13:25 5k. He will need to run 13:27 or under to get the Olympic "B" standard.

[L. Cannon]

Re: 5k Americans

I'd love to see Goucher break thru his injury jinx--he's an enormous talent. But timing is crucial...sometimes injuries coming at the wrong times (or too many of them) can sabotage an othewise fruitful career. I think this is what's happening to Adam Goucher. Also, I agree that Ritz will be one of our top 3 in the 5000m as he stays healthy.Finally, I'd like to see Ryan Hall continue to blossom. He is a very talented young man with miler speed and 10K endurance. In my opinion his best event could be the 5000m.