Knock it off Julia
Knock it off Julia
Were we teammates at Mary Wash?
I would say that he inspired me to get back into following track more than I was at the time.
I ran in the nineties and really followed track, especially the 1500, especially the American scene.
Jim Spivey was really good, Joe Falcon had that one great year in 1990 and Steve Holman consistently ran fast times and was at another level than the other Americans after Spivey moved from the 1500.
Then there was a real drop off in 2000.
You'd have one American run 3:33 then have a drop off to 3:36 in most years.
Getting 3 Americans with a qualifier in any given year was a stretch.
Webb generated all of this excitement running a high school 3:53 in 2001.
There was a buzz and everything Webb did generated news in the sport.
Will he go pro? Then he goes to Michigan and goes under a microscope and then leaves and struggles for a couple years.
Then boom! Crushes the Trials in 2004 and puts up a 3:32.
And we know about the great 2007 he had.
I think Webb jump started the event in this country.
In 2008 he had to face Lagat, Lomong and Manzano and he also lost to Leer who was a savvy racer.
Then you had Wheating, Centro and Andrews stepping up.
Depth form Torrence, McNamara, Fernandez, I can go on.
Now you have 10 Americans capable of 3:34 in a given year.
I think Webb inspired a generation of American milers.
^ Same guy as "Eagles, Swoop!" above, just posting under my normal handle.
I was a freshman in VA when Webb was a senior. I recall one specific day at practice when we came in and heard about his triple at his district meet, where he soloed:
49.29 - 400m
1:49.54 - 800m
4:06.74 - 1600m
It was mind blowing then and I seem to recall the last 800 of that 1600m being well under 2:00.
His range was incredible. Upon graduation, he was the #1 miler of all time, the #1 indoor 1000m runner, the #3 indoor 2 miler of all time, and the #4 800m runner of all time. He would have run 8:30 or faster for 3200m outdoors if he gave it a shot.
He inspired me to eat lots of burgers and fries.
Really hope you aren't a teacher.
ok7272 wrote:
When I bumped into Webb at a hotel (ironically, LaShawn Merritt was there too), he laughed at the idea and obliged write away. So classy guy!
Kind of sort of, though I was never on the team. I was on a practice squad with Kent Barnes and Bill Conningsby in the fall of 2002 but it wasn't like I earned a place on it. I think they just let a bunch of people on it, but I hung out with a lot of those guys like Ryan Bayne and Dustin Yudowitch and Rod and Kronenberg and was close to Nate Brooks and Andi Cassatt. I ran 4:48 in the 1500, I think and 3:10 in the 1000.My name's Orrin. I knew most of the guys on the team. Knew fewer of the girls on the team