I was reading Malcolm Gladwell's bio and was surprised to find out that he was a 1500m runner in high school. Any Canadians remember how fast he ran? Just curious.
I was reading Malcolm Gladwell's bio and was surprised to find out that he was a 1500m runner in high school. Any Canadians remember how fast he ran? Just curious.
canadianbeaver wrote:
I was reading Malcolm Gladwell's bio and was surprised to find out that he was a 1500m runner in high school. Any Canadians remember how fast he ran? Just curious.
Gladwell was very good up until about the 10th grade (4:05/1:58). After a few years away from the sport, he had brief but uneventful return to competition while attending the U or Toronto (3:57ish).
He only got in about 9500 hours of running training, and therefore was not successful at it.
or was it that he was born in the wrong month?
Malcolm was competitive in high school in the late '70s. He did Ontario's then five years of high school in four, before going on to Trinity College, University of Toronto, to do an Honours BA in three years instead of the usual four. He was always a guy with a plan and on the move. The summer before he started high school (1977) he won the provincial age class championship 1500m in Sudbury in about 4:14; he would have been thirteen at the time, and turn fourteen late that year. Dave Reid was second, if I remember correctly. Think I was eighth. The spring of grade nine he won OFSAA (high school provincial champs) in 4:04 I think, with Dave again second? Thrilling race. That summer he won the 1500m at the Royal Canadian Legion National Age Class championships, in the International Peace Gardens, Manitoba/North Dakota. I was second in the 3000m and third in the steeple. Later he had some great battles with Steve Wellum, another Ontario age class phenom, before stopping competition. As someone above noted, he got fit again one year at Trinity and ran 3:5x but that was about it. We swap email once in a while to talk about major championship races. Very good guy.
SB wrote:
canadianbeaver wrote:I was reading Malcolm Gladwell's bio and was surprised to find out that he was a 1500m runner in high school. Any Canadians remember how fast he ran? Just curious.
Gladwell was very good up until about the 10th grade (4:05/1:58). After a few years away from the sport, he had brief but uneventful return to competition while attending the U or Toronto (3:57ish).
Sorry, he actually went 4:01.4/1:58.7 in the 10th grade-- a bit of a prodigy at the time.
a watcher of these things wrote:
He only got in about 9500 hours of running training, and therefore was not successful at it.
Geek joke and I'm glad someone that's read the book has the same humor as me.
Just another hoser wrote:
Malcolm was competitive in high school in the late '70s. He did Ontario's then five years of high school in four, before going on to Trinity College, University of Toronto, to do an Honours BA in three years instead of the usual four. He was always a guy with a plan and on the move. The summer before he started high school (1977) he won the provincial age class championship 1500m in Sudbury in about 4:14; he would have been thirteen at the time, and turn fourteen late that year. Dave Reid was second, if I remember correctly. Think I was eighth. The spring of grade nine he won OFSAA (high school provincial champs) in 4:04 I think, with Dave again second? Thrilling race. That summer he won the 1500m at the Royal Canadian Legion National Age Class championships, in the International Peace Gardens, Manitoba/North Dakota. I was second in the 3000m and third in the steeple. Later he had some great battles with Steve Wellum, another Ontario age class phenom, before stopping competition. As someone above noted, he got fit again one year at Trinity and ran 3:5x but that was about it. We swap email once in a while to talk about major championship races. Very good guy.
Funny you say he was always a guy with a plan; he basically states the opposite in his own written word...he became a writer by accident.
What's even more of a joke is that Gladwell can cite the 10,000 hour rule with a straight face despite his track background...
Even a moment's reflection reveals that world-class sprinting depends almost entirely one's genes and talent, not thousands of hours of training. How many hours had Bolt trained when he ran 20.61 as a 16 year old? Maybe 300? And of course, it's the same for almost every world class sprinter: they have sick talent as teenagers prior to any serious training.
Are there any other great examples where talent, not practice, is by far the primary determinant of "expertise"?
Leanermeaner wrote:
What's even more of a joke is that Gladwell can cite the 10,000 hour rule with a straight face despite his track background...
Even a moment's reflection reveals that world-class sprinting depends almost entirely one's genes and talent, not thousands of hours of training. How many hours had Bolt trained when he ran 20.61 as a 16 year old? Maybe 300? And of course, it's the same for almost every world class sprinter: they have sick talent as teenagers prior to any serious training.
Are there any other great examples where talent, not practice, is by far the primary determinant of "expertise"?
Well correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think his argument was intended to apply universally to everything. I'm pretty sure it's intended for more complicated skills (playing an instrument, perfecting all the different skill sets in hockey, learning to be a doctor). The beauty of sprinting is it's sheer simplicity.
Get Smarter wrote:
Funny you say he was always a guy with a plan; he basically states the opposite in his own written word...he became a writer by accident.
The best laid plans....