Pre 10k field...

Rupp is in the 5k right? So mo will probz be in the 10

Without knowing the field, here are some predictions:

- winning time sub 26:30

- levins sub 27

- farah doesn't lead a lap until 800 to go (ok, I know this isn't that great of a prediction...)

No, you're not. The 10,000 meters on the track is an awesome event. Or at least it can be. But there are two main problems with it, neither of which are new, but both of which have gotten worse in recent years.

Too many runners at the elite and/or professional level don't run it long enough. They get close to being great and bail out for marathon money. Ritz and Shalane would be perfect examples.

And of course the other problem is too many tactical, sit-and-kick races. The track 10,000 is worthless if people are going to do a five mile tempo run, push a little harder for two to three laps, and then sprint for a lap or two. No one wants to watch that.

va coach wrote:

No, you're not. The 10,000 meters on the track is an awesome event. Or at least it can be. But there are two main problems with it, neither of which are new, but both of which have gotten worse in recent years.

Too many runners at the elite and/or professional level don't run it long enough. They get close to being great and bail out for marathon money. Ritz and Shalane would be perfect examples.

And of course the other problem is too many tactical, sit-and-kick races. The track 10,000 is worthless if people are going to do a five mile tempo run, push a little harder for two to three laps, and then sprint for a lap or two. No one wants to watch that.

I agree with your first two paragraphs, and completely disagree with your final one. Tactical races can be exciting. On the other hand, a long train being paced right from the gun until 8 or 9k with no one passing anyone? Now THAT'S boring.

If you're a real track fan, you would appreciate balls to the wall racing. It's only boring if you don't understand the splits and the effort it takes to run 60 sec laps in the middle of a 10K.

With all due respect...

Tactical races are not exciting. The last two or three laps of tactical races can be exciting. Big difference. Especially when there are 20+ laps to get through before the excitement even begins.

And watching a group of runners duke it out lap after lap at pr pace, complete with surges, moves, and lead changes, waiting to see who will crack first, who will crack at all, and who will go somewhere he or she has never been before -- now that's a real track distance race in the purest sense.

But I'll readily admit I'm old school.

I'm also a guy who adamantly believes the NFL has completely ruined the pro game. All passing, no establishment of the running game, and no tough defense allowed anymore... That's as boring as a 24 lap tempo run and a 400 sprint.

prediction time wrote:

Without knowing the field, here are some predictions:

- winning time sub 26:30

- levins sub 27

- farah doesn't lead a lap until 800 to go (ok, I know this isn't that great of a prediction...)

If your first 2 predictions come to fruition that would be shocking. Sub 26:30 would be the best 10k since Bekele and Levins sub 27 would be by far the best race of his career. Not saying he doesn't have the ability, but he's never put together a race anywhere near that caliber

va coach wrote:

With all due respect...

Tactical races are not exciting. The last two or three laps of tactical races can be exciting. Big difference. Especially when there are 20+ laps to get through before the excitement even begins.

And watching a group of runners duke it out lap after lap at pr pace, complete with surges, moves, and lead changes, waiting to see who will crack first, who will crack at all, and who will go somewhere he or she has never been before -- now that's a real track distance race in the purest sense.

But I'll readily admit I'm old school.

I'm also a guy who adamantly believes the NFL has completely ruined the pro game. All passing, no establishment of the running game, and no tough defense allowed anymore... That's as boring as a 24 lap tempo run and a 400 sprint.

My name wasn't supposed to be taken literally. I was mostly just referring to the sad demise of the track 10k as an event. Nobody races it anymore more than once a year.

I agree with this guy that it is boring to jog 22+ laps and then sprint for the win. You can already see that in the 5k. A "tactical" 10k doesn't have to mean slow, it just means that runners use "tactics" to win. Running fast is a tactic. Surging to drop runners is a tactic. Not letting anyone take the lead for the last 500 is a (Farah) tactic.

Normal people don't care to watch skinny guys run for 27 minutes in a race. I would argue that those of us that do would rather be inspired by an incredible performance based on time than a slow 24 lap jog and then sprint. Bekele's wins in 2008 and 2009 were inspiring. A slow race with 10 guys in it at the bell is not inspiring, no matter how fast they close that last 400.

That's my opinion

I find watching Geb and Kenny B throw down in Paris very exciting. To each their own, I guess.

I think you are all missing my point. I don't mean to say that a fast race isn't exciting. Very far from it. What I find "boring" are the races - at any distance - where everyone just lines up behind the pacer and clicks off lap after lap. Watching people run in a single file line, no tactics, no strategy - THAT isn't exciting. Watching Tadesse trying to drop Bekele by pushing the pace from the start in the 07 world championships? Now that's exciting. Frankly, I prefer a fast race to a slow race, but either can be exciting once tactics are brought into it.

huge 10k fan wrote:

I think you are all missing my point. I don't mean to say that a fast race isn't exciting. Very far from it. What I find "boring" are the races - at any distance - where everyone just lines up behind the pacer and clicks off lap after lap. Watching people run in a single file line, no tactics, no strategy - THAT isn't exciting. Watching Tadesse trying to drop Bekele by pushing the pace from the start in the 07 world championships? Now that's exciting. Frankly, I prefer a fast race to a slow race, but either can be exciting once tactics are brought into it.

That race with Tadesse is an example of a fast tactical race (26:49). That's what we want to see. Not a 27:30 sit and kick race. Also, do you mean the 2009 world championships?

The single file line you find so boring doesn't stay that way for long. That's what is exciting. Who will be able to hold on?

huge 10k fan wrote:

I think you are all missing my point. I don't mean to say that a fast race isn't exciting. Very far from it. What I find "boring" are the races - at any distance - where everyone just lines up behind the pacer and clicks off lap after lap. Watching people run in a single file line, no tactics, no strategy - THAT isn't exciting. Watching Tadesse trying to drop Bekele by pushing the pace from the start in the 07 world championships? Now that's exciting. Frankly, I prefer a fast race to a slow race, but either can be exciting once tactics are brought into it.

The 10k is like NASCAR ........... it's only exciting when there's a wreck.

Are they ever gonna announce the field ?

Wrong. Sit and kick is a prime reason the 10k is looking at elimination from the Olympics. It is already in a death spiral on the international pro-track scene.

Last year Pre 10000m was one of the most exciting races if not the long distance race of the year. Seeing People drop like flies and Rupp hammer from 900 out was a site to see. The Olympics 10000m was also a very exciting race, the best runners throwing down different tactics and a last lap balls to wall to decide it. A "real track fan" doesn't need an all out race, the people running the meets want an all out race so their meet gets publicity that they had records go down there as well as getting the world standard. If records fall and standards are achieved, the best runners will run there, and the fans will show up. A "real track fan" will appreciate the race regardless of how fast it is run. All that being said, take out the 20k race walk and put 12k cross country in the olympics

It's not as popular because it is hard to put an event on the schedule now days without a record attempt. KB put the record so far out of reach there are no longer any legitimate attempts.

I love the 10,000 meters. I don't think you need a lot of them in a season but 2-3 good ones would be nice. But like XC it lacks financial support. If you pay, the runners will show.

There are several solutions to the 10k problem. You could make it a daimond league event, assuming that that wouldn't cause a scheduling issue. However, there may not be enough athletes who would want to compete in an eight meet DL season series in the 10k. The 10k could also be introduced to the IWC, although big money would need to be put in there to get competition since IWC is second string. Don't make it a road race though.

huge 10k fan wrote:

What I find "boring" are the races - at any distance - where everyone just lines up behind the pacer and clicks off lap after lap. Watching people run in a single file line, no tactics, no strategy - THAT isn't exciting. Watching Tadesse trying to drop Bekele by pushing the pace from the start in the 07 world championships? Now that's exciting.

You're contradicting yourself.