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2008 LetsRun.com US Men's 800, 1,500 Rankings as of June 4, 2008
June 4, 2008
by: LetsRun.com

This is our second week of the LetsRun.com mid-distance rankings. Week #1 can be found here.

The ranking are based on current form and are supposed to reflect how we think they'd end up if you lined them up and had them race right  now -  it's not a cumulative yearly ranking.

Our stats came from a combination of TrackandFieldNews.com US leaders lists, our own adjustments, and incredible individual stats at tilastopaja.org

Email us at letsrun@letsrun.com with any comments you have.. If anyone has some photos they'd like us to use, please email us.

Men's 1500: Ahmed Enters Rankings
Changes this week: Not much.
The big action this week was the Reebok Grand Prix in NY. Lopez Lomong got his first big pro win defeating Kevin Sullivan who beat him at the adidas meet. The win is impressive for Lomong but not too surprising. As a result, we moved him up into a tie for the #3 spot with Leo Manzano. They are basically indestinguishable.

The only change to the rankings is Said Ahmed entering the rankings. Ahmed picked up a win in Senegal on May 27th in a meet we did not know about. If we had time to factor that in with his 6th place finish at nationals last year, we would have ranked him 7th last week. Ahmed also raced in Sweden on Wednesday where he was 4th in a tactical race, where he lost to teen 800 sensation Kaki.
This Weekend: This is a big weekend because it could determine the fate of Alan Webb. Until this point of Alan Webb's pro career the one area of concern has been his confidence. He runs his first 1500m of the year versus a loaded field at Pre. A good race and he's set for the Trials. A bad race and it will be very interesting in Eugene in 3 weeks. Lomong and Tegenkamp are also in the mile at Pre. Rob Myers runs his first 1500 at the Saturn Midwest Distance Solution. Said Ahmed runs the 1500 in Oslo on Friday.

USA Men's 1,500 Meter Stats

2008 Top Times
changes this week in bold
3:35.14 Bernard Lagat  adidas 05/18

3:36.36 Lopez Lomong  adidas  05/18
3:36.61 Jon Rankin adidas  05/18
3:38.  Will Leer adidas  05/18  
3:38.26 Said Ahmed 5/27 in Sudan
3:38.60 Andrew Wheating Oregon 05/09

3:39.74 Chris Lukeic adidas 5/31

3:40.04  Matt Tegenkamp Cardinal 05/04  
3:40.22  Andrew Bumbalough Princeton  04/1
3:40.25  Bobby Curtis   Swarthmore  05/13
3:40.41  Jonathon Riley  ASU  04/12  

2007 USATF Finals
1 Alan Webb Nike 3:34.82
2 Leonel Manzano Texas 3:35.29
3 Bernard Lagat Nike 3:35.55
4 Christopher Lukezic Reebok 3:36.95
5 Andrew McClary unattached 3:39.81
6 Said Ahmed Nike 3:40.80
7 Russell Brown Stanford 3:41.80
8 John Jefferson Oregon TC 3:42.46
9 Garrett Heath Stanford 3:42.88
10 William Leer unattached 3:44.20
11 Rob Myers Reebok 3:45.59
12 Gabriel Jennings Saucony 3:47.54

2007 Top 10 Seasonal Bests (All under 3:38.00)
3:30.54 Alan Webb (Nike)
3:33.85 Bernard Lagat (Nike)
3:34.25 Matt Tegenkamp (Nike)
3:35.29 Leo Manazano (Texas)
3:35.72  Jon Rankin (Nike)    
3:36.49  Rob Myers (Reebok)    
3:36.95  Chris Lukezic (Reebok)    
3:37.13  Adam Goucher (Nike)    
3:37.27  Chris Solinsky (Wi)   
3:37.56  Russell Brown (Stan)

1. Bernard Lagat - DOB: 12/12/1974 Personal Best: 3:26:34 2008 Best: 3:35:14 Last Race:  3:35:14 2007 Best: 3:33.85
Was there any doubt? The double world champion at 1,500 and 5k outdoors last year deserves to be #1. Obviously he only finished 3rd at USAs last year but the golds in Osaka more than made up for it and made everyone forget that Lagat was really struggling last July (after USAs, he got 7th in Paris and 3rd in Sheffield).  

So far in 2008, he's done pretty well for himself as he currently sits at #1 on the US list at both 5k (13:16.19)and 1,500 (3:35.14).

Lagat is a stud but he's far, far from a sure thing at the Olympics. Given the heat that is expected, we think he's probably a more sure thing for a medal at 5k than he is at 1,500. Given the fact that Bekele isn't going to double, if the Africans don't work together to push the pace in the 5k, it's likely to come down a kick which makes it easy pickings for Lagat.

2. Alan Webb - DOB: 1/13/1983 Personal Best: 3:30.54 2008 Best: 3:30.54 Last Race:  DNF Carlsbad 5k 2007 Best: 3:30.54
Webb had a phenomenal 2007. A win at USAs and win in the Paris Golden League.  Add in the American record in the mile (3:46.91) that served as the world leader in the event plust a world leader in the 1,500 and a stunning 1:43.84 800 (world's #2 time) and you've got yourself a hell of a runner. On paper, Webb looks even better than Lagat as Lagat is 33 and Webb is in his prime at age 25.

The problem is Webb's 2008 season has been a disaster so far. A 16th place showing in the US 8k championships and then a DNF in the Carlsbad 5k. The knock on Webb in the past has been that he doesn't know how to peak properly when it counts and that he doesn't know how to not overtrain. The early season results certainly don't assuage those fears.

The good news? Both of Webb's early season disasters came in distance events. Plus he skipped indoors. That can mean only one thing. Webb was focused on building his strength which was what we wanted to see from him after last year's amazing track season.  Webb still seems confident and it doesn't seem possible that he could burn himself out with proper distance training. Overtain a little? Yes.
Cook himself entirely? Not likely.

But if he bombs in his first 1,500 of the year this week at Pre, we no longer are giving him the benefit of the doubt and move him way, way, way down the list.

3) Leonel Manzano - DOB: 9/12/1984 Personal Best: 3:35:29 2008 Best: 3:56:98 mile or 3:41.80 1,500 at altitude Last Race:  3:41:80 2007 Best: 3:35.29
The Longhorn has proven himself to be simply unbeatable in the college ranks so far this year. He's race 8 times at 1,500 or the mile and won 8 times - way more if you count the DMRs and 4 x miles he's run.  He beat Lagat last year at USAs and has a really, really good chance of ending up on the Olympic team this year as he's got a great, great kick.

He's in super form now as he's totally 100% race sharp. The question is do you put him 3rd or 4th?  Very, very hard to choose between the two.  We gotta go with Manzano for now simply because the point of these rankings is to tell you who is in the best current form. At the end of the year, we'll do a yearly ranking. Manzano is really sharp right now as he's been racing since February.

If you asked us who is more likely to get 3rd at the Trials, we'd have to say. Lomong - simply because he edged Manzano at NCAAs last year and he'll be fresher than Manzano. However, just because Lomong is faster than Manzano and stronger than Manzano, that doesn't mean that Lomong necessarily has a better kick than Manzano.  

At the Trials, it really should be very interesting. Another big thing going for Manzano is he is hungrier. He doesn't have a contract yet and will want to produce big-time. Lomong is already living the high-life. Manzano seems to be getting more and more serious about running each year and getting better as a result.

Stat of the week: In researching the stats for this piece, we were surprised to learn that Manzano is only 5 months younger than Chris Lukezic.

3) Lopez Lomong - DOB: 1/1/1985 Personal Best: 3:36:36 2008 Best: 3:36:36 Last Race: 3:36:36 2007 Best: 3:37.07
We are big, big fans of the Lopez. Heading into last year, we thought he'd do some serious damage at 1,500 as he had shown himself fast enough to run 1:47.00 in the 800 and strong enough to get 4th at NCAAs in cross country. We figured a good 1,500 had to be in there somewhere and Lopez certainly didn't disappoint.  He captured NCAAs in the 1,500 and ended up running 1:45.79 for 800.

After falling at adidas before the restart, he rebounded well with the biggest win of his pro career this week at Reebok.

5) Jon Rankin- DOB: 2/9/1982  Personal Best: 3:35.26. 2008 Best: 3:36.61 Last Race:  3:36.61 (6th adidas) 2007 Best: 3:35.72
Given the fact that he's run 3:35, Rankin is way more under the radar than he probably should be. It's probably because he hasn't proven himself to be a big-time championship runner yet. Rankin never made the finals of the NCAA 1,500 while in college (in 2005, he failed to make the NCAA final when he was one of the favorites). His only top 10 showing at USAs was when he was 6th in 2005.

But Rankin is running well so far this year and was only .25 behind Lomong at the adidas meet. But in that meet, Lomong was up front all along, Rankin moved up late.

6) Andrew Wheating - DOB: 11/21/1987 PB: 3:38:60 (2008), 2008 Best: 3:38:60 Last Race: 1:46.83 800, 2007 Best: 3:45:17.
The 20 year old Oregon sophomore has been the revelation of the US collegiate scene so far in 2008 as he's the collegiate leader at both 1,500 (3:38.60) and 800 (1:46.83). He's got a nasty kick as shown by the video on the right where he throws down a 26.1 last 200 to set the collegiate leader of 3:38.60.

From a no-name to an Olympic contender all in a year. We sure hope he's enjoying the magical ride as much as we are. We also hope to see him run the 1,500 at NCAAs as we want to see him have a showdown with Manzano.

7) Said Ahmed: DOB: 12/10/1982 PB: 3:35.94 (2006), 2008 Best: 3:38.26 Last Race: 3:41.47, 2007 Best: 3:39.00
Ahmed
has been training Kenya since February. He opened with a 3:38.26 win at an African Grand Prix meeting (category II) in Sudan on May 26th. He beat Abdala Abdulgadir (who usually does the peacemaking for Abubaker Kaki) (3:38.59) and Yahya Osman (18 years) who improved to 3:39.25.

He then raced Wednesday in Sweden where he ran 3:41.47 for 4th in a tactical race. Teen 800 sensation Abubaker Kaki smoked everyone the last 100 and Ahmed and 3 others finished within .35 of one another.

Ahmed gets another test in the 1500m (not the Dream Mile) in Oslo today (Friday).

8) Matt Tegenkamp:DOB: 1/19/1982 PB: 3:34.25 (2007), 2008 Best: 3:40.04 Last Race: 3:40.04, 2007 Best: 3:34.25
Tegenkamp is the #1 American born talent in the 5k currently. He's unlikely to run the 1,500 Trials at USAs but the schedule is set up so that if you bomb the 5k, you can come back and try in the 1,500. If that doomsday scenario takes place, Tegenkamp could make some noise - particularly if the pace is honest.

At 1,500, he appears to be a bit overmatched by the big 1500 studs as exemplified by him losing to Lomong by .62 in Arizona early in the year (3:39.50 to 3:40.12). However, he can more than hold his own against guys that aren't likely to make the Olympic team but are strong candidates for a top 10 showing. For example, he defeated Lukezic at Stanford by .25 on May 4th.

9) Chris Lukezic: DOB: 4/24/1984 ,PB: 3:33.28 (2006), 2008 Best: 3:39.74, Last Race: 3:39.74, 2007 Best: 3:36.95.
Hard to believe that Lukezic is still only 24 years old and that he ran 3:33.28 as a 22 year old. Not too shabby. However, it seems like Lukezic has almost been forgotten by the press in recent years.  That's what you get when you turn pro early, as America is a society that focuses on winners and Lukezic hasn't won anything since his junior days.

Lukezic ran weell last year at USAs. Many seem to forget that he was right with Webb, Manzano and Lagat until the last 200. He didn't have a good indoor season this year (4:05 mile at Reebok Boston) and hasn't done anything too impressive outdoors. He lost to 5k stud Matt Tegenkamp at Stanford (3:40.04 to 3:40.29) and beat who you'd expect at Reebok and lost to who you'd expect as well.

10) Rob Myers -DOB: 8/5/1980PB: 3:34:89 (2005), 2008 Best: 3:40.89i Last Race: DNF 3k at adidas, 2007 Best: 3:36.49.
In the 1,500 Myers was the 6th fastest American in 2007 and the indoor champion early in 2008.  Last year, his seasonal best came early in the year (at the adidas meet in May) and it looks like Myers is trying to prevent that from occurring again this year as he hasn't raced a 1,500 outdoors so far. He did run a 1:49 800 to win on May 4th.

We won't hold his DNF from the 3k in the heat of LA against him. Myers is running the 1500 at the Saturn Midwest Distance Solution meet this weekend so it will be a good indicator of where he is at.

11) Will Leer - DOB: ?? PB: 3:38.11 (2008), 2008 Best: 3:38.11, Last Race: 3:38.11, 2007 Best: 3:40.06.
While many visitors to the site are accusing of LRC.com of being a hater of the D3 csene, the reality is far from the truth. We've been meaning to give this Steve Prefontaine look-alike major props for some time now.  The former D3 star is really making his mark in his first season with the Oregon Track Club as he ran 3:38.11 for 8th at adidas. Hell last year, just after graduating from Pomona, Leer finished 10th at USAs. He's clearly in better shape this year. That's the good news. The bad news? So are a lot of other people.

Men's 800: Jacob Hernandez Emerges, Kevin Hicks Reappears
The men's 800 features the Big 2, Khadevis Robinson and Nick Symmonds.

Changes this week: Jacob Hernandez jumps into the rankings in the #3 spot. The Texas soph ran a US leading #2 1:45.68 to win the NCAA midwest regional. Kevin Hicks ran his first 1:47 clocking in 3 years to enter the rankings at #4.
This Week: Symmonds
and Robinson at Pre.

Bumped out: Brandon Shaw and Jeremy Mims.
Others to watch: Jacob Phillips
ran 1:46.70 to win the East region. But we're not throwing him into the top 10 on one race.

USA 800 Meter Stats
Note: Our stats came from a combination of TrackandFieldNews.com US leaders lists, our own adjustments, and incredible individual stats at tilastopaja

2008 Top 10 Seasonal Bests
changes this weeek in bold
1:45.55 Khadevis Robinson 5/31\
1:45.68 Jacob Hernandez Univ of Texas  5/31
1:46.14    Nick Symmonds (Oregon Track Club)

1:46.27     James Hatch (unattached)    
1:46.55  Kevin Hicks
1:46.58     Jeremy Mims (unattached)  Oregon  
1:46.70    Carlos Phillips  Florida 5/31

1:46.75   Felix Kitur    VMI 5/31

1:46.83    Andrew Wheating (Univ of Oregon)  
1:46.95i    Khadevis Robinson (Nik)e USATF Indoors
1:47.12     Tim Harris (Miami)   
1:47.16     Elliott Blount (OTC)    
 1:47.16   Brandon Shaw (OTC)  
1:47.18   Ryan Brown (Asics)   Mt SAC  

2007 Top 10 Seasonal Bests
1:43.84     Alan Webb (Nike)   
1:44.27     Khadevis Robinson (Nike)    
1:44.54     Nick Symmonds (OTC) Eugene GP   
1:44.69     Jonathan Johnson (Reebok)   
1:45.69     Duane Solomon (USC)    
1:45.92     Jebreh Harris (Reebok)  
1:46.11     Floyd Thompson (SMTC)   
1:46.20     Brandon Shaw (OTC)  
1:46.22     Elliott Blount (OTC)    
1:46.62     Trent Riter (unattached)

2008 USATF Finals
1 Khadevis Robinson Nike 1:44.37
2 Nicholas Symmonds Oregon TC 1:45.17
3 Duane Solomon U S C 1:45.69
4 Jonathan Johnson Reebok 1:45.79
5 Lopez Lomong Northern Arizona 1:45.79
6 Floyd Thompson Santa Monica T C 1:46.11
7 Golden Coachman unattached 1:47.18
8 Trent Riter unattached 1:48.00

#1 Khadevis Robinson - DOB: 7/19/1976 Personal Best: 1:43.68 (2006) 2008 Best: 1:45.55 Last Race:  1:45.55 (1st) 2007 Best: 1:44.27
The US Champ from 2007 outdoors also won the 2008 indoor title. He's got a good rivalry going with Nick Symmonds but in our minds the choice between #1 and #2 was an easy one. In 2007, Robinson twice ran faster than Symmonds personal best (1:44.54) and he put four times that were better than Symmonds second fastest best time.

Robinson's racing style makes it a bit hard for him to defeat Symmonds at times head to head but there is no doubt who is the better 800 runner up to this point in their careers.

He was a very close 2nd (.02) at the Reebok Grand Prix to Kamel defeating Gary Reed and Nick Willis and looks good heading into Pre.

#2 Nick Symmonds - DOB: 12/30/1983 Personal Best: 1:44:54  (2007) 2008 Best: 1:46.14 Last Race: 1:46.14  2007 Best: 1:44.54
The USATF runnerup indoors in 2008 and outdoors in 2007, Symmonds is a clear #2 in the US 800. Symmonds ran 1:46.15 at the Nike mile to open his outdoor season last week.

This weekend he gets a real test at Pre. He stunned the running world last year with his win their last year. This weekend  he faces US #1 Robinson, Yusuf Kamel, World Champ Alfred Yego, and World Silver Medallist Gary Reed.

#3 Jacob Hernandez  9/8/1985 Personal Best: 1:45.68 2008 Best: 1:45.68 Last Race: 1:45.68 2007 Best: 1:48.10
Jacob Hernandez is a huge, huge talent. He ran 1:48.48 in high school. Until Saturday he was a guy who had had some great college success (especially on relays where he was on Texas world record DMR team), but had barely improved on his high school pr (he had run 1:47.96 his freshman year while at TCU but not improved since).

That all changed on Saturday. Hernandez dropped a 1:45.68 to destroy the field at the NCAA Midwest Regional. We had talked to UT coach Jason Vigilante earlier in the week about something else and he was raving about Herhandez workouts. The last time we heard him raving about one of his athletes was when Leo Manzano was an unheralded freshman at the University of Texas.

#4 Kevin Hicks - DOB: 11/7/1984 Personal Best: 1:44.94 2008 Best: 1:46:55 Last Race: 1:46.55 2007 Best: 1:47.28
Kevin Hicks is another huge talent. He ran 1:44.94 in 2005 to get second at NCAAs as a sophomore. He followed that up by getting third at USAs. Then he disappeared. Since 2005 he's never made the finals at USATF, and has never been under 1:47.28, that is until last week.

Last week he ran 1:46.55 to finish behind Nick Symmonds at the Nike Mile 800. His fastest time in 3 years came at the right time heading into the Olympic Trials.

#5 Andrew Wheating - DOB: 11/21/1987 PB: 1:46.83 (2008), 2008 Best: 1:46.83 Last Race: 1:47.93 800, 2007 Best: 1:50.17
If we'd started our ranking early in the year, this guy would have been nowhere the top 10. Hell he likely wouldn't have been in the top 10 of his conference.  But the 20 year old Oregon sophomore has been the revelation of the US collegiate scene so far in 2008 as he's the collegiate leader at both 1,500 (3:38.60) and 800 (1:46.83).

The only question mark regarding Wheating is what is his true event as his coaches at Oregon said they are unsure if he's an 800 or 1,500 man ultimately.  He's probably got a better shot of making the Olympic team in the 800 this year but we'd like to see him end up in the 1,500.  Actually, we are tired of specialization, what's preventing the world from having someone who can run both quality 800s and 1,500s like the great Seb Coe?

At Pac 10s, Wheating destroyed the 3rd placer at USAs last year - USC's Duane Solomon.  

#6 Alan Webb - DOB: 1/13/1983 Personal Best: 1:43.84 (07) 2008 Best: None.  Last Race:  DNF Carlsbad 5k 2007 Best: 1:43.84
Heading into last year in the 7 years starting in 2000, Alan Webb had only once ended up with a seasonal best in the 800 under 1:47 (1:46.09 in 2004).  Thus the fact that he ended the year with a PB of 1:43.84 which also served as the world's 2nd fastest time was a big-time shock to say the least.

Webb doesn't race many 800s so it's hard to say how he'd do if he stepped on the track right now and raced. We imagine it would take a rust-buster or two for him to reach top form. Thus he might be beat by some US guys.  We'd like to see Webb run a quality 800 on US soil (maybe the next time there are no world champs) just to see if he could dominate or not.  However, it would probably be in his best long-term interest to try a 5k instead (13:10.86).

That's how good Alan Webb is. Fast enough to be the world's #2 at 800 and strong enough to do serious damage in the 5k. Hell his 10k PR is better than Olympic marathoner Dathan Ritzenhein. The total package for sure when he's on.

#7 Jonathan Johnson - DOB: 3/5/1982 Personal Best: 1:44:69 (07) 2008 Best: 1:46.90 Last Race: 1:47.29 2007 Best: 1:44.69
When Johnson won USAs and NCAAs in the same year in 2004, it seemed like the sky was the limit. A humbling 6th at NCAAs the next year (while we hate seeing people go pro early, that right there is an example of why many of them do), brought expectations down a lot.  

Thus people may not have noticed but Johnson actually set his PR in Europe (1:44.69) last year. Earlier in the year, he finished 4th at USAs. We guess it makes more sense that not nearly as many people are noticing because 4th in USAs 3 years after winning it, isn't likely to create a lot of publicity.

Johnson didn't have a great week finishing 7th at Reebok in 1:47.29

#8 Ryan Brown - DOB: 9/17/1984 Personal Best: 1:46.29 (07) 2008 Best: 1:47.18 Last Race: 1:48.07 2007 Best: 1:46.71
The 2006 NCAA outdoor champ has been running well early in the Olympic year. 3rd indoors at USAs, Brown opened his outdoor campaign with a win at the Mt. Sac Relays before getting second in a race in Japan.

#9 James Hatch - DOB: 9/271982 Personal Best: 1:46.27 (08) 2008 Best: 1:46.27 Last Race: 1:46.27  2007 Best: 1:50.50
The NCAA indoor runner-up from 2005 certainly wouldn't have been on anyone's radar heading into this year as his seasonal best was 1:50.50 last year. But he's at a new level this year. 5th indoors at USAs, Hatch has opened up outdoors with a lifetime best and US leader. Will it last?

Talk about a great time to open in a PR - how about the Olympic year.

#10 Duane Solomon - DOB: 12/28/1984 Personal Best: 1:45:69 (07) 2008 Best: 1:47.33 Last Race: 1:47.65 2007 Best: 1:45.69
The USC senior finished an impressive 3rd at USAs last year by running a pr of 1:45.69.  This year he's the # 3 American on the US collegiate leaderboard but he's was crushed by Andrew Wheating at Pac 10s (1:46.83 to 1:47.65) in his last outing.
 

#11 Matt Scherer- DOB: 11/21/1983 Personal Best: 1:46.61 (08) 2008 Best: 1:46.61 Last Race: 1:46.61 2007 Best: 1:47.89
Scherer is an interesting prospect. He's a 45.19 400m runner but in America that means you think about moving up to the 800 which he did in earnest last year. He ran 1:47.89 last year. This year outdoors he had run 1:49, 1:49 and then 1:51, but in his last race out this past weekend he busted out with a 1:46.61 pb win. Has he finally figured out the 800 or will he revert back to the 1:48s? Regardless it seems like the rounds at the Trials will be a disadvantage to the speed based runner.

 

We're sure we made a few errors as this is our first attempt at this.  Comments, suggestions? Email us at letsrun@letsrun.com

We rushed to put this up and didn't include photos. If anyone has some photos they'd like us to use, please email us.

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