Nick Willis flies last lap in 51.9 to win NZ National Champs 1500m

Did Nick figure out Mo+Rupp+AlSal's top secret kick solution?

haflr wrote:

Full race video from NZRun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20gpfRmAHWE

Great video, nice YouTube user lead with, I'm sure, more great videos. Is it the equivalent of fall there in New Zealand? Anyway perhaps I've been misled by some optical trick of the camera but the way the race unfolded and the manner of Willis' biomechanic appearance made it look like he was racing grade schoolers. In the first two laps he literally appeared to be straining under the duress of slowness of jogging. Even when he "took off" in the last lap and nobody was even close to responding he still looked restrained. His arms appeared to be tucked in during the closing kick. Honestly, the speed of the closing kick looked like what his form would be mid/late in the race of a diamond league/championship 1500m. If that indeed was 52 seconds, then if he had opened up his arms and legs to his full capacity he had to have been good for 48 seconds or faster.

What was the 800 split and what was the final time?

"I'm too lazy to time it myself so someone do the work for me."

oos wrote:

What was the 800 split and what was the final time?

I got the final time at around 3:50 with the 800 at 2:15 or so. Impressive last lap but based on a pedestrian pace.

TOP ELITE RUNS REALLY FAST LAP AT END OF VERY SLOW RACE!!!!!

TOP ELITE RUNS REALLY FAST LAP AT END OF TWO AND THREE QUARTER LAP WARM UP!!!!!

Mo+Rupp wrote:

Did Nick figure out Mo+Rupp+AlSal's top secret kick solution?

You realize that Nick closed the 1500 semi at the 2003 NCAA championships in 52 right? And you know he has an Olympic silver medal right?Why are you acting like he just learned to kick?

So, UR saying, Nick always had the secret that team AlSal has worked hard to keep hidden away from prying eyes.

Everyone knows it was a slow pace cause it was a championship race.

And we all know that a 3:29 runner should always run away with a slow race like that, however, the race did have two 3:38 runners in there who are known for their kicks and the guys in 2nd (53 secs) 3rd (54 secs) and 4th (55 secs) weren't too slow on the last lap, and there were 3 x sub-4 milers who were out of the medals.

The most impressive part of it was that Willis hardly looked like he was working to change speed like that.

if the guy can do this at the end of a workout, 51.9 off a slow pace shouldn't be that big of a surprise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qq_0r2gvYY

pretty astonishing how he does not look like he is sprinting as he runs, I think, 35.8 in that workout. Just very quick strides, no high knees, no leg extension, doesn't appear to be working that hard. He is super efficient.

Nice video. Willis looked great. When you see a kick like that, it always makes you wonder how fast a guy might have run if he'd stretched out that strength over the whole race. Thanks for sharing!

Keffri Neal (Kentucky) won the indoor SEC 1500m last year with a 52.7 last lap for a 3:46 1500m.

Shawn H wrote:

Nice video. Willis looked great. When you see a kick like that, it always makes you wonder how fast a guy might have run if he'd stretched out that strength over the whole race. Thanks for sharing!

3:40?

51.9 sounds flashy, sure, but his PR pace requires just under 56 per 400, so he ran 4 seconds faster after running 1100m at what was probably just a hair under his 10k pace (66-67, he has to be good for a low 28).

He looked incredibly smooth though, I hope he's in this form in the summer.

Kentucky Runner wrote:

Keffri Neal (Kentucky) won the indoor SEC 1500m last year with a 52.7 last lap for a 3:46 1500m.

I was there; that was an awesome last 400. He paid for it in the 800 later.

mmbop wrote:

Shawn H wrote:

Nice video. Willis looked great. When you see a kick like that, it always makes you wonder how fast a guy might have run if he'd stretched out that strength over the whole race. Thanks for sharing!

3:40?

51.9 sounds flashy, sure, but his PR pace requires just under 56 per 400, so he ran 4 seconds faster after running 1100m at what was probably just a hair under his 10k pace (66-67, he has to be good for a low 28).

He looked incredibly smooth though, I hope he's in this form in the summer.

3.50.90-51.9 = 2:59. That's 65.1 pace for 400 meters. For 2.75 laps. This should have taken virtually nothing out of him.

lol lol lol lol wrote:

That's 65.1 pace for 400 meters.

So yelps the troll who couldn't run 65 for 400m at his peak.

lol^5 wrote:

lol lol lol lol wrote:

That's 65.1 pace for 400 meters.

So yelps the troll who couldn't run 65 for 400m at his peak.

Idiot, what does someone you call a "troll who couldn't run 65 for 400m at his peak" have to do with a world class 1500 runner running an easy 65.1 400m pace for 2.75 laps. Comparing him with Willis is like comparing sh1t with world class chocolate ice cream, totally irrelevant and shows you probably have sh1t for brains.