have there been many ppl who could have gone pro but didnt?
have there been many ppl who could have gone pro but didnt?
amazed there wasnt an automatic answer of "pre"
Nef Araia (Sp?). While at Staford, I believe he was always among the top cross country runners in the nation. And he definitely had the talent to pursuing a professional running career, if he chose to.
josh macdougal
Michelle Sikes from Wake Forest. Ran 15:16 to beat Sally Kipyego and win the NCAA championship in the 5000m her senior year. She signed with Kimbia, placed 4th (i think) at USAs, then headed off for her Rhodes Scholarship and apparently hasn't run again professionally. Wonderful runner, wonderful personality, beautifully smooth runner, great talent. Anyone know what happened to her?
I found a very mysterious example. Abdirizak Mohamud appears to have done nothing after high school. He beat Jorge Torres, Slattery, Bizenuh, and Luchini in Foot Locker in 1997 and then disappeared. He also won Foot Locker in 1996.
I don't think these folks did a whole lot after college:
Sharif Karie (Arkansas)
Mark Tucker (Butler)
Donald Sage (Stanford)
b-runner wrote:
Nef Araia (Sp?). While at Staford, I believe he was always among the top cross country runners in the nation. And he definitely had the talent to pursuing a professional running career, if he chose to.
Count the Stanford All-Americans. A lot of them in the last 10-15 years or so either didn't appear to make any attempt at pro running, made a short one fraught with injuries, or just appeared to fizzle out from mediocre performances.
Araia
Sage
Tenforde
Luchini
Robison
Lambie
Hejny
Off of the top of my head some recent All-Americans who aren't competing, or at least aren't putting up results that I've noticed:
David Kinsella
Bret Schoolmeester
Trent Hoerr
Matt Withrow
Stuart Eagon
Christo Landry
Jess Baumgartner
Matt Gonzalez
Stephen Pifer (gave up in 2010, or just a bad year?)
Colby Wissel
Kiel Uhl
Antony Ford
Gavin Thompson
Paul Morrison
Travis Laird
Tom McArdle
Isaiah Festa
Josh Spiker
Franklyn Sanchez
Sharif Karie
Mark Pilja
Michael Power
From a cross country perspetive, I think the ultimate answer has to be Josh McDougal, though.
Sikes got a slew of injuries in 2008, raced some last year, Kenya in January, then nothing.
1. John Dennis
Amy Skieresz
How about Rudy Chapa, he did run that great debut marathon, but i just wondered what he could of done if he continue to run.
While in high school Gerry Lindgren was 9th in the 1964 Olympics 10,000m and beat the Russians in a due meet. Then at Washington State, he won 11 NCAA Championships including:
3-time champion 3-mile/5000 (1966-68);
3-time champion 6-mile/10,000 (1966-68);
3-time cross country champion (1966, 1967, 1969);
His only loss at an NCAA championship was to Jim Ryun in the 1968 indoor 2-mile (3.2 km) race.
He was one of only two people to ever defeat Steve Prefontaine in an NCAA Championship.
He was also AAU champion 3-mile (1967)and set a WR in the 6-mile (1965).
Per Wikipedia "He competed sporadically after graduating from college but without any notable success."
Kyle Miller from Texas.
Matt Davis
Tony Waldrop
Dettman twins.
Dettman twins never did much in college either
Nicodemus Naimadu, Shadrack Songok. end of thread.
Steve Prefontaine