Leer blames Lagat

I get that it's post-race stream of consciousness, but I can't get over how funny the line, "if you're tired, get out of the way" is. Imagine a high school coach yelling that at one of his struggling athletes with a lap to go.

I hope some high school or college team of wiseasses puts that as an inspirational quote on the back of their team t-shirts.

to legit to quit wrote:

Like him or not, the Will Leer you see on interviews is the same Will leer that you would find hanging with his boys at the Bar.

Lagat on the other hand is 100% the nicest guy in the world on camera, always saying the utmost encouraging statements, and claiming all modesty. Is this the same Lagat we would find behind closed doors? Is this the same Lagat we would find if he was not always winning races (or finishing close behind)?

By saying this, you are implying that Lagat is not gracious and friendly off-camera. What would lead you to believe this?

And he has every right to run the 1500. There are a number of reasons for him to do it. Money, a national title. Why shouldn't he run it?

The New UncleB wrote:

Watch the finish of the 1500 again.

Does it not look pretty clear that Leer crossed the line before Wheating? How the hell did they give Wheating 4th and Leer 5th?

You know, although I thought Leer sounded like a crackpot saying the finishing order was "political," I can't disagree with you when I go back watch the finish. This is like some Phelps-Cavic Beijing 2008 100 butterfly action right here. It would be nice to see the FAT photo...

Nonetheless, Leer still owes Lagat that apology. Hell, Lagat never even led the race! How could he have been "slowing it down" any more than Leer was? He just put himself in a smarter position while running essentially the same pace (until the obvious decimation of Leer at the finish).

the smartest letsrunner wrote:

The New UncleB wrote:

Watch the finish of the 1500 again.

Does it not look pretty clear that Leer crossed the line before Wheating? How the hell did they give Wheating 4th and Leer 5th?

You know, although I thought Leer sounded like a crackpot saying the finishing order was "political," I can't disagree with you when I go back watch the finish. This is like some Phelps-Cavic Beijing 2008 100 butterfly action right here. It would be nice to see the FAT photo...

Nonetheless, Leer still owes Lagat that apology. Hell, Lagat never even led the race! How could he have been "slowing it down" any more than Leer was? He just put himself in a smarter position while running essentially the same pace (until the obvious decimation of Leer at the finish).

I have no interest on who says what. It just looks clear to me in several viewings of the finish that Leer passed Wheating before the line. How is it Wheating was given a higher place and faster time? I was rooting for wheating -- had picked him to win -- but still.

Just watched the video of the finish and I think the meet officials got it right. Wheating just barely outleaned Leer by a hair.

dougruns26 wrote:

Just watched the video of the finish and I think the meet officials got it right. Wheating just barely outleaned Leer by a hair.

.

Really?

Every time I watch it I see Leer appear to pass Wheating just before the line.

It's clear that whatever you wanted to see going into watching the interview was confirmed. All of this controversy is due to about 1 sentence he said about Lagat within minutes of a race after he just missed his 4th consecutive US team by a hair, and when he was trumped by some UofO alums/runners that he appears to have a festering resentment towards.

For all of those demanding apologies and crying bloody murder for Leer, put yourself in that scenario, and how many of you would be as diplomatic as you're demanding him to be?

With that said, if you've missed 3 (now 4) straight US teams by a hair, don't sit in f'n 10th-last until 250 to go.

Will leer would have a point, IF HE DID NOT RUN IN LAST PLACE UNTIL THE LAST 300m.

watched the video many times, Leer was fourth, not wheating!

no photos?...why?...maybe because the photo shows the truth!

petre wrote:

Will leer would have a point, IF HE DID NOT RUN IN LAST PLACE UNTIL THE LAST 300m.

DING DING DING!! We have a winner.

While I am on the side the finds the kicker's race exciting, it bugs me when guys complain after. Leer is a big boy he can put the hammer down earlier if he wants.

I find it amazing that anyone can watch that video and still say that Leer beat out Wheating! Leer has no one to blame but himself as he doesn't even lean at the tape, while the less-experienced Wheating was willing to sacrifice his body with a dive at the tape. Wheating's chest breaks the tape with Leer just an instant behind and with no lean whatsoever. I like Leer, but he screwed up and has no complaints, having sealed his fifth place finish with his poor finish line tactics.

I am sure that Leer feels differently now that he has had a chance to look at the race tape. He was WAAAAAAAY back with 400m to go. A terrible position for him to get himself in. He mounted a great kick but it was just too late and he ran out of real estate. Wheating did nip him at the line (torso only).

Leer is a great guy and I am big fan. He's a D3 kid (Pomona College) who showed in up in college as a complete nobody and developed amazingly due to a fair amount of talent and a great work ethic.

He should be going to WCs but he blew it on his positioning at 400m out.

RuKiddingMe!! wrote:

watched the video many times, Leer was fourth, not wheating!

no photos?...why?...maybe because the photo shows the truth!

Are you talking about the video on the front page? It'll take a few attempts, but if you manage to pause it at the right time, there's no question that Wheating out-leaned Leer.

Leer ran a tactically good race. I'm tired of seeing sports commentary that's 100% based on the results and ignores the process. Leer got 5th by .01, narrowly losing to last year's US #1 and almost making the world's team despite not having a blazing fast PR.

Yeah his comments were kind of dickish and mostly wrong, but it was right after he missed out on going to worlds.

Yeah, watching the video (click pause when the two cross the line) and it is kinda obvious that Wheating beat Leer...

ya ive gotta admit i had wheating as my pick to win it but when i saw the finish i thot at first that leer got him. going back though to watch the tape later it is pretty obvious that wheating JUST got him. people need to realzie too that wheating is a big guy and when he leans you tend to lose track of where your looking. its the torso that crosses first that gets the higher placing and i think people have been focusing too much on leer that they dont notice wheatings torso just edging him out. you need to pay real close attention to how wheatign leans because i lost track of what part crossed first a few times before i saw it. it looks like leer got him because leers entrie body is ahead of wheatings lower half. but when you look at wheatings actual upper torso you can see it, its just hard to tell because of his height and the amount of body left trailing behind him that makes it look like leer is ahead.

its not whose entire body crosses first, its whose torso that crosses first that makes it.

does anyone feel like Leer might be either a touch racist, or a pinch xenophobic?

This will be an interesting July ahead of us. We have multiple guys that could go to Worlds now since no one has the “A” standard yet. Basically, this 1500m “race” is not over yet. If Centro and Leo get the standard, they are going no matter what. But now the question is who’ll get that 3rd spot? That third spot can go to anyone (i.e. Wheating, Leer, Acosta, Torrence, Lomong, Miller, etc).

Another scenario is what if Centro and Leo CANNOT get the “A” standard, but 3 other guys do? the possibilities are endless with who’ll represent the US 1500m team. Example: Wheating, Lomong, Acosta; Miller, Torrence, Leer; Wheating, Ulrey, Brown; and so on.

Hopefully this scenario doesn’t occur and I highly doubt it will, but what if none of our guys hit the “A” standard for the 1500m? So I would guess that Centro is the only one then to go to Daegu since we can only send one “B” standard runner? Correct me if I am wrong.

This is seriously setting up to be one heck of a month

im actually pretty sure that the chase rule only applies to the top 4 guys, 5 being the absolute max. does anyone remember the rule? i'm also pretty sure brown is out of the qeustion because he didnt even make the final