I hope Ryan Hall doesn't run a spring marathon

QFE!!!!

Couldn't have said it better my friend.

I would say he could run even faster than 27:20 in the 10k right now. Perhaps 27:10 or faster.

PROBLEM #1 Ray Flynn

You are 100% correct. That is what is in the best interest of the athlete. However, Ray Flynn is his agent and can not pass up a buck. If Ryan goes your route then he will not receive any appearance money for his marathon debut. Ray will be pocketing 15% of this payday. He will run LA. Mark my words. Dealing with LA he will have the under the table deals with Devine. This makes it easy for Ray to pocket a little more $$ without the athlete ever knowing because Devine is a shaky operation.

It is unlikely Hall will be prepared to reach his marathon potential by the 2008 Olympics. If I were him, I would focus on the 10,000 for the 2008 games (running plenty of 3ks and 5ks, even a 1500 here and there). With a half marathon time like that, he could be a top-10 finisher (hell, maybe even 5th, 4th, or sneak in for a bronze!) in the 2008 10k if he develops his leg-speed (while maintaining the stamina he has now). After 2008, debut the marathon and begin preparing to excel in that event.

i fail to see how running a spring marathon will prevent him from running a "killer" 10,000m on the track this year.

What he should do is run a track season. Run 27:10 and establish a new american record for 10k. The get big $$ from Chicago (skip the marathon trials). Chicago will be willing to pay in excess of $250k for some american presence with all others running the trials. This would also steal some of the show from NY. Then run the 10k at the Olympics because China is going to be a shitty place to run a marathon anyway. He then has the next 3 years of paydays in the marathon and will only be 28 for the 2012 games.

Well this is the possible scenario. He isn't a marathoner yet. I doubt if he's put in 18 mile and 20 mile efforts at 5:00 pace. Or done much over 110 miles a week. The possibility is that an all-out marathon in April could force him to take the entire month off and he could be creeping back in May. Sure by August he could have his legs back but I'd rather see him able to run fast at 3000 and 5000. I'm leaning towards that would require him to be in 3:40 shape. You can't do that once you make the full marathon committment.

Most of the very best marathoners (I'm not talking about the Shorter's, Rodgers, or even DeHaven) maximize their track efforts first as a focus. And then move up.

If Hall run's Boston and that course can eat you up, by the time he's recovered and rolling again with track workouts its June.

His moment has arrived. The Marathon can wait a little while. He needs to focus on what he has to do to break 13:05 and 7:35 and with that all he needs is about a 10 week build-up and he will run a better marathon.

you could be right. seems to me, though, that in this day and age it may behoove young americans to focus on the marathon sooner rather than later. honestly, what success - outside of nice times - can they expect on the track? he's more of a medal threat in '08 at the marathon than anything on the track - if only for the reason that anything can happen in championship marathons. plus, let's not forget economic considerations: there's more cash to be had in being primarily a marathoner. if, as has been rumored, he has true designs on the US marathon team for '08, it would certainly be best to not debut at the trials.

i'd agree that if he is not interested in being a marathoner in the near future, he should probably skip a spring marathon.

He's 24 years old. He could go 3:35-7:32-13:05 this year. Hypothetical but only possible if he doesn't run a sprin marathoon. And going after a 10,000 mark at that type of sharpness rather than training 140 miles a week and coming down.

And still put in a 10 week build-up before the trials, wet his whistle at the marathon, and make a decision what his focus will be in 2008.

Show me the money wrote:

PROBLEM #1 Ray Flynn

You are 100% correct. That is what is in the best interest of the athlete. However, Ray Flynn is his agent and can not pass up a buck. If Ryan goes your route then he will not receive any appearance money for his marathon debut. Ray will be pocketing 15% of this payday. He will run LA. Mark my words. Dealing with LA he will have the under the table deals with Devine. This makes it easy for Ray to pocket a little more $$ without the athlete ever knowing because Devine is a shaky operation.

Shhhhh! You shouldn't know such things...

chuck d you have a good point. I don't think debuting a marathon at the Olympic trials and making the team has ever happened. I don't think it was possible to do that in the past.

Salzar debuted in 2:09 in New York on 90 mile weeks and 10k focus.

John Treacy debuted in LA and got a silver medal.

But if Hall can get down to 27:10 in the 10,000 why not do that first and then move up. Forget about the money or the Olympic schedule. He needs to worry about doing everything the right way to be the best possible he can be and he'll now have a lot of distractions that might interfere in that goal.

Show me the money wrote:

Then run the 10k at the Olympics because China is going to be a shitty place to run a marathon anyway.

as chuck d noted, that's EXACTLY f***kin why he SHOULD RUN the marathon in '08.

ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN AT THAT DISTANCE.

At the moment no american stands a chance to medal from 1 mile to 10k.The 10k will probly be won by Bekele and his pacesetters...Do you honestly think Ritz is going to go in and medal running 27:30 or something? The africans have way to much speed and depth. Anything can (and does) happen in the marathon, this is where we need to put our greatest talent.

slaps wrote:

He's 24 years old. He could go 3:35-7:32-13:05 this year. Hypothetical but only possible if he doesn't run a sprin marathoon. And going after a 10,000 mark at that type of sharpness rather than training 140 miles a week and coming down.

And still put in a 10 week build-up before the trials, wet his whistle at the marathon, and make a decision what his focus will be in 2008.

People that are predicting super-fast 1500 times this spring/summer for Hall are missing the point. RH and his coach have said it themselves, they wasted time thinking that he was a mile/5K guy. His talents obviously (at least 59:43 is obvious enough for me) point to him having massive potential at events like the 10,000 and HM. While I think he can run a solid 5,000 in the ballpark of 13:10 I doubt that he has the physiology to battle it out with even guys like Tegenkamp in the 1500 and 3000.

I'd love to see Hall run a marathon ASAP......clearly his Houston half marathon performance shows he's in great shape right now. If he recovers well he should strike while the iron's hot. Time to go balls to the wall and see where it takes him. Who knows what the future will bring....trying to orchestrate a late year marathon debut after a full spring & summer of track racing might be dicey. Injuries could put an end to his career at any time so he should go for it while its clicking for him...which perhaps means now rather than later.

It always baffled me when sprinters ease up for the last 10 meters of the 100 rather than busting their ass thru the line. What the hell are they saving themselves for????? Get your time when you can.....VERY rarely does everything (training, health, weather, competition, confidence, etc.) come together at the same time. When they do I think you pull the trigger and let it rip! So what if it's not in a World Championship race/Olympics or some major meet. A fast time is a fast time.....period.

I say that Hall (or anyone) who wants to be their best should recognize when things are "right" and go for it, regardless of time of year or who they are running against.

Good Luck Ryan....nice job today!!!

I think Ryan Hall should run the races/distances that Ryan Hall is most interested/passionate about running.

These inevetiably will bring out his best performances.

Who cares what we think we want him to do.

I'm thinking Hall is

Sub-3:31

Sub-12:57

Sub-26:55

Right fukking NOW.

Ryan Hall has the potential to beat any runner in the world, including Bekele. If he wants to train for a marathon, great, but he shouldn't avoid the track because he has anyone to fear. He don't.

you all who are saying 27:10 for the 10k need to realize that others who have ran his half marathon time have crushed 27. if he runs a 10k in the shape he is in now, he will go like 26:50 and, dare i say, he could probably run it solo.