At last our dreams will become reality: Jeremy Wariner may open 2015 up at 800m!!! How fast (slow) will he go?

rojo wrote:

Some idiot even said he could run 141/2.

I love that you run this site and only quote the person you think is an idiot.

rojo wrote:

How fast do you think he'll go?

My question is: where has he been? what has he been up to? How old is this guy now... it seemed to disappeared from the 400 quickly. the guy used to coast 44s like Merritt, then he kinda vanished...

i'll just guess he's in about 46.8 shape and therefore at best he'll go something like 1:40.89.

How old is he now like 50? I really doubt we will ever see JW run fast again. As much as I like him.

If the over/under is 1:50, I would definitely bet on over. Wish him the best though, would be awesome to see him go 1:47.

Since it will be his season opener I don't expect much. I think sub-1:52 would be good.

Gonna be ugly

might be wejo & TAA wrote:

If the over/under is 1:50, I would definitely bet on over. Wish him the best though, would be awesome to see him go 1:47.

Since it will be his season opener I don\'t expect much. I think sub-1:52 would be good.

Depends on the players- I think he can be hoovered to a 1:48-1:48.5 in 4th or 5th. If the field puts him in the mix for the win then 1:50 seems like a fair o/u with me putting small money on over.

We now have a poll up on the HP where you can vote for how fast he opens up:

http://www.letsrun.com/archive/2015/01/15/

I'll call John Kellogg and ask him. I used to ask JK (a Baylor alum) all the time about what MIchael Johnson could do for 800. JK had a very specific answer and had even talked to a Baylor coach about it but that was 10 years ago.

I think people who are saying real fast need to realize something. Wariner is far from his Olympic gold medal form. Last year, he ran 46.01 for his sb.

The real question is how fast does he need to go before he switches events?

If he goes 1:47 on his first try in this kind of shape, to hell with the 400!

Very interesting I got to think about this one.

Too bad he waited this long. Eight years ago I longed for him to enter the event. Just think..... Well crying Clyde probably had a hand in that decision. Again, too bad.... for him and us.

He's only a couple years older than when Johnny Gray ran 1:42. I'd think a once 44 guy could pull in a sub 1:50 on mostly talent and a little work.

iiieieii wrote:

He's only a couple years older than when Johnny Gray ran 1:42. I'd think a once 44 guy could pull in a sub 1:50 on mostly talent and a little work.

But is he still a 44 guy?

as brojo pointed out he SBed at 46.01

I think he was a 44 guy .

lol well he WAS a 43 guy!!!

As a 47/48 runner myself I can cruise and do 1:55 off minimal long runs

he can go sub 1:50 for sure, as he is quicker than me, fitter than me, lighter than me

does he really think 1:47 or 1:48 is possible? 1:51.63 is my guess.

well.... wrote:

My question is: where has he been? what has he been up to? How old is this guy now... it seemed to disappeared from the 400 quickly. the guy used to coast 44s like Merritt, then he kinda vanished...

Regarding his quick disappearance from the 400m, here are his TFN rankings (World, USA):

2004 (1, 1)

2005 (1, 1)

2006 (1, 1)

2007 (1, 1)

2008 (2, 2)

2009 (2, 2)

2010 (1, 1)

2011 (7, 2)

2012 (nr, 4)

2013 (nr, 10)

= 10 years of rankings total: 8 years of world rankings, with 7 of 8 as either the top or one of the top 2 in the world. And after those 8 seasons at or near the top of the world's rankings, enough quality to be USA ranked for 2 more seasons. I would love to have all of that on my athletics resume before vanishing.

DOB is 31 January 1984, so he will be 31 in a couple of weeks. Call it an "old" 31, given the duration of high-quality time in the sport. 2014 season best was 46.01. Last time he ran 45.xx was May 2013. Last time he ran 44.xx was April 2012.

He has had a fantastic career. I am glad he is pursuing the 800. He must enjoy the training & challenge enough to want to continue. That is sufficient reason to be doing what he is doing. I don't have great expectations of him in this event at this point in his career, but who knows -- it may be interesting to see.

I will be shocked if he cracks 1:50, though I wish him luck. If he thinks he should run under that either he has no idea what he's talking about or he has been doing a LOT of endurance work. I've seen 49.x 400m guys run 2:01 in their opener 800m and not look good doing it. Given he is probably only in 46 or 47 shape right now, sub 1:50 seems overly optimistic methinks.

I think sub-2:00 is possible if he paces himself correctly.