VIPAM wrote:
Class isn't the subject. Galen Rupp was towed the first half of the race and pushed til the last 200-300m last year and he ran 29:03.8 this year Sam Chelanga ran solo and at whatever pace he desire even easing up after posting approx 5:36 from 5.5 to 7.5 km after passing 5000m in 14:09.
I'm a fan of Galen Rupp but I know Rupp wouldn't have been able to beat Sam Chelanga if Galen was running against him today! No doubt about it Sam Chelanga could have run 28:20 if he was pushed even slightly instead he ran away from a very talented field and destroyed Galen's strong course record with EASE!
I'm not sure how talented the 2009 field was compared to the last 2 years. There clearly was no twosome out front like in 07 and 08. Also, two of the pre-season favorites, GF and LP did not have strong seasons. Finally, the entire Stanford team, including Derrick, ran flat today. But Derrick wasn't coming within 20 seconds of Chelanga today even if he ran his best race of the year.
Having said that it's hard to compare this year with last year. Rupp ran to win last year. I have no doubt that he could have run 15-30 seconds faster last year if he were running for time rather than place. However, I think this year's Chelanga would have beaten last year's Rupp.
Chelanga was a true beast out there. Last year, he ran scared. this year, he ran with confidence. If he wants it, he will win next year as well. I hope he goes pro and leaves the NCAAs to the college kids.