Drew Hunter: "Realistically long-term I think I a 5k runner."

He's competed as an American his whole life. He's not really Canadian.

So true! His mechanics are horrible. Afraid to see what the 5,000 will do to him.

Heard a me? wrote:

Fisher has a better shot running the Canadian trials once he goes pro.

Why would he do that? He competed in US trials last year and represented US juniors in Europe in 2014.

Speculation rules here, but I’d bank on my assessments below. I’m not a fanboy, just a fan, and Drew Hunter (among other young talents) brings a freshness to the sport that is undeniable.

Drew Hunter definitely has appeal, which, in addition to his obvious running potential, is why adidas threw funny money at him. He also seems to have a realistic approach to all aspects of the task at hand and knows his place extremely well. So far in his career he has been easy for a lot of us to like; some athletes go in the other direction.

Here he is in the US finals at age 19. He's far from being a superstar, but so WHAT if he's not some even more phenomenal young talent from Kenya or Norway! Is that a reason to slam him? Not in my eyes. With "only" 3:57 mile and 3:38 1500 bests to his name, the fact is he's still an elite U.S. runner. Yeah, he has a loooooong way to go, and he knows it, and he's trying, and he's doing pretty damn well -- to put it mildly.

And he's getting paid for it, and it ain't his fault, either. AND SO WHAT IF HE'S NOT THE ORATOR OF THE YEAR. He did quite well off the cuff, facing cameras and mikes not long after a major free-for-all scrum on an oval track in hot weather at the US championships on Thursday evening.

A lot of older, more experienced runners failed Thursday where he triumphed. And getting 6th in his fast heat was a triumph. His stated goal was to make the final this year, which he accomplished. Will he come through in the final against some top-notch American talent? Sure, he might bomb, but he can always proudly state that he was a finalist at 19 in the US outdoor championships.

Nothing is guaranteed for him except his paycheck (for quite a while longer, at least), and I imagine he's grateful for every opportunity. Take his health, for example. The kid's got Lyme Disease, and just look it up on the web to learn how this hideous illness can be an ongoing beast even after a sufferer thinks the illness has gone. Maybe this won't be his fate. We'll see.

As for his form, and its impact upon longterm injury, he's no doubt working on it, but he'll never be a smooth-as-silk runner. Never.

Widespread appeal automatically equates to some level of dislike on LetsRun, where anonymity, spite, and cowardice can too often go hand-in-hand (leading to foot-in-mouth sometimes). If you go back and read anything about Drew, you'll see that there is almost always a mix of genuine support and ugly put-down. In this regard, his LetsRun thread mentions are not much different than those of Jordan Hasay, Nick Symmonds, and a few others, including some of the 1500 guys who didn't make the final (Kyle Merber, Andrew Wheating, and the list goes on). Being slammed on LetsRun comes with the territory. It’s not a badge of honor by any means, since the anonymous (mostly the anonymous) will rag on anyone.

Good luck to Drew -- he'll likely be looking at a few backsides in just under two hours, and learning with every step, every elbow, every spike to the shin. It's all money in the bake (hot weather...) -- I mean BANK – for him, and I don't mean his paycheck. I mean big-time experience all these athletes gain at this level. The résumé grows!

Hi, Mr. Hunter!

Nah, this is either the guy who went to Loudon Valley several years ago (or is that Golden Miles) or some other friend. Drew's mom posts here sometimes, but she doesn't hide her identity when she does.

Anyone who knows Drew's dad would know this was not him...first, he rarely, if ever, gets on LetsRun, and second, he doesn't talk like this.