Morgan Uceny:“I think women are not as good racers as men. You don’t see men fall as often as women, or trip."

Can you substantiate this a bit more? Can you count how many women have fallen vs males? Doesn't Rupp have a pattern of problems in packs? Losing shoes, falling. What about Solinsky also?

jsjsu wrote:

Can you substantiate this a bit more?

jsjsu wrote:

Can you substantiate this a bit more? Can you count how many women have fallen vs males? Doesn't Rupp have a pattern of problems in packs? Losing shoes, falling. What about Solinsky also?

Yeah, just go ahead and ask Uceny this the next time you see her.

I think it's because women have wider hips.

Geb

El G

Ron Clarke

Jim Ryun

Who else?

Agree. Check out any pre-nats or NCAA national races. Women break way earlier and end up way worse off than the men.

Its really hard to focus on the race and think about what to cook for dinner at the same time...

everyone knew this was coming

German Fernandez

* Lasse Viren, Munich '72 in the 10K

* Quentin Cassidy on the trails in Florida

High Wire wrote:

jsjsu wrote:

Can you substantiate this a bit more?

http://i42.tinypic.com/35hpylk.jpg

What a pile of blondes!

I think back to every state meet I've ever been to, and particularly the 2mile. Boys: several boys in a pack making moves, trying to break each other. "Slower" boys hanging with "faster" boys, hoping to pull a big upset and earn a PR as well. Girls: the girl with the best PR goes by... then ten seconds later the girl with the second best PR goes by... ten seconds later, the girl with the third best PR goes by...

I would suggest that even the fastest guys have grown up being challenged regularly, even if they always pulled out the win in the end. many girls grow up running in a pack of themselves. It doesn't matter if a current elite was a high school studess or if she was the female equivalent of Brian Sell and only improved later. She still probably grew up racing with no one around her.

High Wire wrote:

jsjsu wrote:

Can you substantiate this a bit more?

http://i42.tinypic.com/35hpylk.jpg

Can't help noticing that all the fallen are blonde.

In your example, the boys are the ones hanging back in a pack, and the girls are the ones breaking away on their own, which doesn't align with your premise.

breaking away wrote:

In your example, the boys are the ones hanging back in a pack, and the girls are the ones breaking away on their own, which doesn't align with your premise.

You didn't read it then. If the issue is tripping and falling in packs as an elite, then they boys, who become elite men, have more experience racing in packs from a young age, and thus are better able to navigate tight groups when they race at, say, the Olympics. The girls, who become elite women, probably get their first real pack racing experience at NCAA nationals.

I see what you're trying to say, in that running from the front is one way of racing, and it is, that's true. But how often does an elite 1500 or 5000 allow for that? That's what I'm saying, that girls who grow up running every-chick-for-herself in high school will be less prepared to navigate a tight group later. It's just a theory. Not necessarily true, but a thought based on observations. Which is what a "theory" is.

I would also say that in high school, the fast boys aren't hanging back in a pack so much as the slower boys are being brave and trying to run with the faster boys. I never faced a "slow, tactical" race until I got to college. Again, just an observation from personal experience.

Ironic that this is coming from a man

High Wire wrote:

http://i42.tinypic.com/35hpylk.jpg

Dude, props.. this made me LOL

It's called taking a dive

Kinda cool that Morgan gets to live in the UK.

A smarter and more tolerant culture.

I hope she enjoys the adventure and finds the partner/love and life of her dreams.

She's a tough competitor who had some bad luck -- people need to really appreciate how rare and good she is.

USA is lucky to have a handful of excellent 1500m runners on the women's side these days.

I hope she does great in the future.

One thing she won't have to worry about so much is jetlag!

they're comparatively less athletic, so they fall on their face more. that's what less athletic people do in challenging circumstances.

I totally agree with the analysis of Ben Wright on why the ladies can't race: "Women are handicapped by having boobs. It's not easy for them to keep their left arm straight, and that's one of the tenets of the game."