Cold and Windy and Teg runs 12:58.56...would broke the New AR of Ritz's if weather better?

there was zero wind, very calm

Not according to what the broadcasters said early on. The wind was inconsistent, but the cold was there.

Bigger problem was that the pace slowed on the penultimate lap. Looked like Tegenkamp was ready to go, he was clearly holding back, but didn't want to take the lead. He only needed a 1:58 with two laps to go, but with the slowish penultimate lap he would have needed a 56 for the last lap.

no excuses. he had his chance. there were plenty of people ahead of him that he could have moved with....if he could of. good race, anyway, but not real competitive.

the race before, the men's 200, had a 0.0 wind reading...

15 degrees celsius = 59 fahrenheit...

in short, PERFECT distance running conditions...

northern boy wrote:

Bigger problem was that the pace slowed on the penultimate lap. Looked like Tegenkamp was ready to go, he was clearly holding back, but didn't want to take the lead. He only needed a 1:58 with two laps to go, but with the slowish penultimate lap he would have needed a 56 for the last lap.

Yeah it is everyone else' fault that he didn't run faster.

Oh and everyone who was ahead of him, finished ahead of him.

Teg needed to have run a couple more races this past summer I think. He could have moved earlier, but who knows if would have been able to keep it up or not? Great run by Teg regardless. He'll run faster. He was in the thick of it with a bunch of World Class Africans and he ran a World Class time. Good for him.

i won't get into the argument of if Teg could of done it or not, but imagine if he did. Bob has the record for 13 years and then Ritz has the american record for a week? ouch.

the facts wrote:

the race before, the men's 200, had a 0.0 wind reading...

15 degrees celsius = 59 fahrenheit...

in short, PERFECT distance running conditions...

A lot of evidence that the conditions were right for a best:

1 BEKELE, Kenenisa 12:55.31

2 MERGA, Imane PB 12:55.66

3 CHEPKOK, Vincent PB 12:55.98

4 ABDOSH, Ali PB 12:56.53

5 BETT, Josphat PB 12:57.43

6 EBUYA, Joseph SB 12:58.16

7 TEGENKAMP, Matt PB 12:58.56

8 ROTICH, Lucas 13:02.44

9 KIGEN, Mike SB 13:04.38

The thing that I don't understand is why all the exitement? These two (Ritz and Teg) were 3rd and 5th at WXC (Junior) behind Bekele. They damn well should be running under 13.00 by now if a guy like Kennedy did, or a handful (like today) of no-name Africans can. This is what prevents this from happening more often - that Americans don't think that they can, put people like Kennedy on a pedestal, too often have poor coaching or development programs, and assume that those who can (break 13) must be on drugs. Heck a journeyman middle-distance runner (Moorecroft) ran 13.00 - 27 years ago almost by himself. He only did that because he was no longer good enough to make the UK national team in the 1500m (because of Ovett, Coe and Cram). That alone should presume that others are capable. Of course people will say that this can't be possible because the best in the world back before then(1970's) couldn't run this fast, so this must mean that that modern runners must be drugged - the our generation must be better than the following one (bitter revisionists) - also why people still revel in Pre, Shorter, Rodgers, etc.!! the world has moved on!!

Other talented athletes (Fernandez, Webb, Rupp, etc.) should also be capable of good performances. What is lacking is the confidence that world records and World championships are also possible - that is what earlier generations felt (Ryun, Wolhuter, Mills,Schul, etc.) and only Lagat (leftover Kenyan mindset) as a current American male really feels. The women are starting to get it, that the talent exists (and always has), expecially in the middle-distances, to be competitive on the world level.

I find it humerous to think that people actually believe that the only way for this to happen is for everyone to head to Oregon to train, as if nothing can be done anywhere else?! Willis won an Olympic medal without going there and Lagat doesn't train there. It requires TALENTED athletes with a self-belief (much as the British 1500m runners had in the 1980's) and a consistent (ideally injury free) training and racing development structure - not necessarily alone but not having to chase training partners unduly, although the American "system", such as it is, seems to make this more necessary than reality would dictate.

Does anyone have 200 or 400 meter splits for Teg? I want to match them up side by side with Ritz because I'm bored at work and it will pass some time. Plus it could be interesting.

[quote]camarillo brillo wrote:

"The thing that I don't understand is why all the exitement? "

Really? You don't understand this? It is because Ritz and Teg have just done something that only one other American born athlete has ever done. Next time you need something obvious spelled out for you let me know.

"This is what prevents this from happening more often - that Americans don't think that they can..."

Really (again)? How is it that you know this? Have you polled Teg and Ritz, Rupp and Solinsky...? Did you ask them "Do you believe that you can run 5000 in under 13?" I didn't think so. Just another camarillo who knows everything about what everyone else is thinking. Myself, I'm guessing that you don't.

the facts wrote:

the race before, the men's 200, had a 0.0 wind reading...

15 degrees celsius = 59 fahrenheit...

in short, PERFECT distance running conditions...

Are you kidding me? It was COLD. Teg was the only one out there who wasn't sent to the hospital to be treated for frostbite. Good thing he wore those arm warmers.

I think what the previous poster is trying to say is the fact that teg and ritz were both due sub 13 years ago considering the fact that they both got top 5 at world cross in 2001 alongside the winner bekele. And he's right in that aspect. So they better be running sub 13 min.

Tegs mother wrote:

the facts wrote:

the race before, the men's 200, had a 0.0 wind reading...

15 degrees celsius = 59 fahrenheit...

in short, PERFECT distance running conditions...

Are you kidding me? It was COLD. Teg was the only one out there who wasn't sent to the hospital to be treated for frostbite. Good thing he wore those arm warmers.

Is this a joke? 59 degrees is not cold (maybe for an African, certainly not for Teg). Look how many PR's were run tonight.

Zurich is 433m above sea-level, while Brussels is just 74m.

camarillo brillo wrote:

This is what prevents this from happening more often - that Americans don't think that they can, put people like Kennedy on a pedestal, too often have poor coaching or development programs, and assume that those who can (break 13) must be on drugs.

I'm so tired of hearing this psychological mumbo-jumbo. Every single American runner suffers from a mental block shared by all his compatriots? Do you honestly think guys like Teg train or race with less determination and heart because they share a belief that they, as Americans, cannot do something? Somehow I don't think one's nationality plays into one's psychology as an athlete to such a great extent that not a single American runner can escape it. The Africans haven't been setting world records in the distance events the past three decades because they share some secret source of inspiration Americans can't tap into; they've been setting records because they're talented and they train hard.

Teg ran fast because he was in shape to run fast. He would have run the same time if Ritz had run 13:15 the previous week.

I agree. Its absurd how people raised doping questions after Ritz's run. They should have been asking themselves, why did it take so long in the first place.

"Teg ran fast because he was in shape to run fast. He would have run the same time if Ritz had run 13:15 the previous week."

Bull, Teg was definitely motivated by Ritz's race in Zurich! And about the arm warmers; if it made him more comfortable and kept his arms from tightening up, what is the big deal??? The idea was to run fast today, not to show how tough he was in handling the cool conditions.