U.S. middles distance runners MIA??

[110hedgeNYC]

why are people like Symmonds and others not on the European circuit racing against the best?

will they repeat the pattern of the last 2 years?

look great in front of hometown crowd in Eugene at Pre and Nationals, go into training bunker, skip all big (and even smaller) European circuit races before major World or Olympic Championship, show up at Worlds or Olympics and get slaughtered in 1st or 2nd round.

why don't these guys spend more time Europe????

you can't learn how to beat people you never race against.

wtf?

[doug091463]

lagat ran a 800 tuesday
wurth thomas ran a 1500 tuesday and will run in rome friday
women steepler delilah will run a steeple friday.
i am very surprised no USA men ran the 5k in oslo, and none are scheduled for rome. i was expecting rupp and teg to get a good time and jager needs to get an A qualifier if does does nor, though lets run posters have rumored (not a good source, sometimes the rumors are true though.) they will all be in a 5k on july 18th at kbc heusden zolder in belgium.

[Powell]

Re: U.S. middles distance runners MIA??

you can't learn how to beat people you never race against.

Which means none of the world's best will have learned how to beat Symmonds :P

[knite]

Well, US athletes are starting to become complacent with only doing well in Eugene and nowhere else.

[az2004]

i, cynically say, take the oregon based runner out of oregon and what do you have...

kaki looks out for berlin, so one finals slot is open...

based on how the usa squad did in lausanne, the combo of jet lag and coming off a trials makes running this soon so problematic

[gh]

Re: U.S. middles distance runners MIA??

why are people like Symmonds and others not on the European circuit racing against the best?....

why don't these guys spend more time Europe????

you can't learn how to beat people you never race against.

wtf?

Errr, for most of them it's because the European meets have no interest in them. And the people they need to "learn how to beat" aren't interested in running against them either.

So you expect somebody to buy an expensive plane ticket and expensive inter-European travel, and find a place to stay, just not to be able to get into any of the major meets?

Far better to train hard and well in familiar circumstances if you're in that position.

[doug091463]

i, cynically say, take the oregon based runner out of oregon and what do you have...

kaki looks out for berlin, so one finals slot is open...

based on how the usa squad did in lausanne, the combo of jet lag and coming off a trials makes running this soon so problematic

sammy kitwara and gideon ngatuney just came off the hardest trials for distance runners there is in kenya at altitude and ngatuney won a half marathon a week later, and kitwara just won peachtree in atlanta. they would be more tired and jet lagged than if the USA runners went to europe, and our sprinters are already competing in europe.

also many of our 5/10k runners did run the peachtree road race.

i am reminded of one of the steve prefontaine movies where pre is upset because he wants to race viren and the aau tells him he has to run a race against a lesser field. pre is saying i want to go race viren and they want me to run against a bunch of pussies.
MOST ofthe USA distance runners of today would would be the opposite of pre and would prefer to race a bunch of pussies.

MOST AMERICAN DISTANCE RUNNERS ARE SOFT.

they are so soft in fact they have created a USA only prize money circuit.
do we really need a 15k AND a 10 mile road championship
a 20k AND a half marathon championship every year.

every march we have runners WHO QUALIFIED for WORLD XC who decide to run a road 15k and/or 5k instead.

i hope the jamaicans never dominate the sprints to the point that are sprinters whine so much about it that they create a USA only sprint circuit, so they dont have to compete against foreigners any more than they really need to,

[knite]

OUCH!!

[marknhj]

MOST ofthe USA distance runners of today would would be the opposite of pre and would prefer to race a bunch of pussies.
MOST AMERICAN DISTANCE RUNNERS ARE SOFT.

That is an outrageous slur on a group of athletes who I have no doubt train as hard as they can and race to the best of their abilities. Unfortunately, few are good enough to be competitive internationally. That does not make them soft or a bunch of pussies. Show some respect, demonstrate you have even a basic understanding of international athletics, or shut up.

[dupontred]

what I don't understand is how meet organizers think, yeah, the crowd wants to see 13 Kenyans in this race. 8 Kenyans isn't enough, we need 13~!

fill the field with some other people. I know agents are involved, but can't the agents for other countries' distance runners do anything?

[huntinwr]

U.S. middle distance runners M.I.A.

MOST ofthe USA distance runners of today would would be the opposite of pre and would prefer to race a bunch of pussies.
MOST AMERICAN DISTANCE RUNNERS ARE SOFT.

That is an outrageous slur on a group of athletes who I have no doubt train as hard as they can and race to the best of their abilities. Unfortunately, few are good enough to be competitive internationally. That does not make them soft or a bunch of pussies. Show some respect, demonstrate you have even a basic understanding of international athletics, or shut up.

Which begs the question, why aren't they good enough? A nation of 300 million people can't produce ONE guy who can get in the 1,500 at a Golden League meet with 46 Kenyans :?: :shock:

[K.I.R.]

Relax. I'm sure you're bored sitting on your couch with no white boys to follow in European results but it hasn't even been two weeks since USAs. Recovering from that meet, traveling, getting settled in Europe, etc. takes time. Or you could rush it to please "fans" and run 3:54 in Lausanne like Rob Myers.

i am reminded of one of the steve prefontaine movies where pre is upset because he wants to race viren and the aau tells him he has to run a race against a lesser field. pre is saying i want to go race viren and they want me to run against a bunch of pussies.
MOST ofthe USA distance runners of today would would be the opposite of pre and would prefer to race a bunch of pussies.

Give it a rest.
First of all, the incident you mention occurred in a movie ... a work of fiction, like most of the Prefontaine stories floating around.
The real Pre was a drunk who ran in a different era. He is now dead.

[Non Potest]

i, cynically say, take the oregon based runner out of oregon and what do you have...

kaki looks out for berlin, so one finals slot is open...

based on how the usa squad did in lausanne, the combo of jet lag and coming off a trials makes running this soon so problematic

Kaki didn't even make the Oly Final. Thats how tough the event is. If you don't know the opposition how can you employ the appropriate tactical strategy to best them.

[2 cents]

Leonel Manzano is scheduled to run 800 meters in Heusden tomorrow. I would wager he'll set a personal best, as I believe his best is an indoor time, something like 1:49.26...
Evan Jager is running a 1500, as is Lopez Lomong and Rob Myers, although Jager is in the B heat..
Then of course Jager will be cheering on Tegenkamp in the 5000, for obvious reasons...

[gh]

R....

i am reminded of one of the steve prefontaine movies where pre is upset because he wants to race viren and the aau tells him he has to run a race against a lesser field. pre is saying i want to go race viren and they want me to run against a bunch of pussies.
MOST ofthe USA distance runners of today would would be the opposite of pre and would prefer to race a bunch of pussies.

Give it a rest.
First of all, the incident you mention occurred in a movie ... a work of fiction, like most of the Prefontaine stories floating around.....

That incident was real. The AAU abused its powers greatly in those days. And there are those who worry about its happening again.