Who is the most talented American distance runner ever?

Who?

Kennedy. Dude ran like 35 mpw in high school.

Lauren Fleshman seems to do damn well off very limited training (coming off injury etc).

ryhe178 wrote:

Who would be the best at 800m, 1500m, 5000m without any training? This implies that you know something of their training and their potential.

This is really mid/distance and requires somebody with range. If you consider an American citizen to be an 'American' then who is better than Lagat?

Obviously Bernard Lagat. Next question.

Men

1. Evan Jager, According to Schumacher.

2. Bernard Lagat probably is 2nd.

3. Jim Ryun 1:44.30 for 800 as a junior also 3:36 for 1500 and 3:51 for mile as a junior and 8:25 for 2 mile a junior American record which also equates to a 7:47 for 3000 also better than the American record, all these American junior records from 1966 still stand, going on 49 years with no one really close.

4. Bob Kennedy 3rd.

Women

1. Jearl Miles Clark, triple jumper in college at Alabama A & M turned 400 runner turned best ever American 800 runner.

2. Mary Cain ran 4:11for 1500 as a high school sophomore, at some rinky dink high school not known for it's distance program, now with professional coaching will probably smash American records at 800, 1500, 3000 and 5000 (and 10000 if she chooses to..

3 tie. Suzy Favor-Hamilton best ever American drug free 1500 runner.

3 tie. Jenny Barringer Simpson ran sub 9:30 for steeple with a best of 9:12 before age 22, now at 28 has been #1 in the world at 1500 also has an 8:29 for 3000

These are opinions, no real objective way to know.

Allen MF Webb

Evan Jager is a great American runner but he is not within the same solar system as Bernard Lagat at his peak. If Jager's 8:04 is akin to 3:32 for a 1500m specialist, then Lagat's 1500m 3:26.3 is worth 7:50 or better in the steeple. Ryun and Webb are the other obvious claimants in so far as they ran so well so quickly. Webb already ran 4:08 as a sophomore about a year out of swimming. Ryun had more speed than about any other American distance runner over 800m.

Talent doesn't mean what they could do with no training - that's too hard to define as anyone can become a 350 lb slob unable to run a mile. Talent is ultimate potential. And in that case I would have to say Ryun.

Little bit of a 20th century bent (I can't speak to the respective talents of those in the 80s/90s as much):

Ryun

Webb

Lagat

Wheating

Krumm (PRs!!!)

Jager

Holman

Kennedy

Goucher

Lomong (PRs!!!)

Rupp

Scott

Jennings

Liquori

Teg

Stember

Centro

I would have to say that it's me.

Fam

Why just 8, 15, and 5k, distance running is 800-Marathon, that range is how you know if a runner is really talented

I'd have to say Galen Rupp here, he has so much range

The guy was a 10k in college and he can still come back a run a 3:50 indoor in the mile

PR':

800m- 1:49.12

1500m- 3:34.16

Mile- 3:50.92 (indoors)

3k- 7:30.16 (indoors, AR)

2M- 8:07 (indoors, AR)

5k indoors- 13:01 (AR)

5k outdoors- 12:58 (5th best all time US)

10k- 26:44 (AR by a lot, has been the only one to really be able to crush a good 10k of US men to compete w/ the Africans, Olympic Silver Medal)

HM- 1:00:30 (top 5 all time? And this was just his debut, with a 26:44, he will clearly get Hall's 59:43 on a fast course)

Marathon- has yet to race one, but he will be at least decent at the marathon distance

What other US men has this type of range, and can lay fast PR's across 800m to Marathon?

NOP Skeptic wrote:

What other US men has this type of range, and can lay fast PR's across 800m to Marathon?

Certainly not Galen Rupp. Hell, Tony Sandoval ran as fast at 800m and was clearly faster in the marathon than Galen Rupp.

Doug Padilla

Jim Spivey

Lagat 100%.