Bobby Curtis is Retiring with NCAA 5000m Title, 27:22 10k PR, 2:11:20 Marathon PR

Correct link:

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2017/08/former-ncaa-champ-bobby-curtis-announces-hes-retiring-end-year/

The psychological effect of his beard has made him feel older and slowed him down. Shave it off, and he'll be all good.

Very solid career. Best of luck to him in future endeavours.

Strange... he only just recently took up the marathon. Even Haile took a few years to get the marathon sorted out. I figured he would have tried to chug on a few more. Oh well. Best of luck.

trails for life wrote:

Strange... he only just recently took up the marathon. Even Haile took a few years to get the marathon sorted out. I figured he would have tried to chug on a few more. Oh well. Best of luck.

A class act.

He turns 33 in November and has had a nice career (Sub-4 Miler, NCAA Champ at 5,000, 27:24 10,000; World Champs Team at Marathon.

It sounds like he has a good gig lined up.

Great guy. Struggled with a serious sleep issue most of his career, but he seemed to get it sorted after much difficulty.

Always seemed like a good dude. Best of luck post-running, Bobby.

LetsRun.com wrote:

After finishing 42nd today Worlds Curtis announced he's retiring at end of this year.

Details here:

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2016/02/rrw-olympic-trials-marathon-biggest-ever-opportunity-bobby-curtis/

I want to congratulate Bobby Curtis on a great running career. I have followed him since he was in H.S. down at Louisville, KY which is only 4 hours from me (closer than Chicago is to me) and he really was the first KY prep distance runner in my memory to compare well nationally and then go on to do something special in college. He took advantage of the now much better opportunities to run fast "time trial" 5K's and 10K's now offered in the USA and got some really good PR's... plus it is always special when an American can win an NCAA title in the era of overage foreign distance runners (despite what their official passport may say) and Bobby did that for Villanova and did it with style! Every top distance runner has a tough decision to make about when to "pull the trigger" on their own pro running career and start a new non-running centered career/life. With his recent MBA from Michigan and a new job already secured in Philly.... maybe everything "came into perfect alignment" for Bobby to make the transition now rather than compromising on his new career and trying to run for another 1-3 years... or, until next Olympic year in 2020. It's always a tough decision but I respect his thoughtful intellect and self analysis. I thank him for what he did for distance running in America and also in the Southeast/Midwest....and for making 3 US X-C Teams when other top American stars did not support that national team quest. I'm sure he ran more Trials than those 3 so he stayed committed to X-C when others bailed for whatever reason. Anyway, Bobby, even though you don't know me well... you had a great run and I just want you to know that I appreciated it and best wishes to you now in your new life.

Love it

What a classy and considerate post from Craig Virgin.

Classy is giving up your US Team spot when you know that neither your head nor your heart are "all in" for the World Championships. There was a better way for this to end!

I had the fortune of handing Bobby his Sister Mary Cribben Award at Villanova. Class Act! He was such a hard worker with a kind heart and a great sense of humor. I wish he'd have stuck with the 10k for another year or two, but he ran some amazing marathons. Congrats Bobby, see you on the trails in Philly! Enjoy your new endeavors.

Inspiring runner. First saw him race at the Paul Short Invitational in college. His NCAA 5k and some of his 10k races convinced me he had the potential to be the next guy under 13. As a Reebok athlete he never got the opportunity to train with those Nike groups. I think he would've fit in well with the Teg, Solinsky group and run faster/more consistently. He was a legit contender for two Olympic teams but things never lined up right on the day. Great runner.

Ben Jammin wrote:

I had the fortune of handing Bobby his Sister Mary Cribben Award at Villanova. Class Act! He was such a hard worker with a kind heart and a great sense of humor. I wish he'd have stuck with the 10k for another year or two, but he ran some amazing marathons. Congrats Bobby, see you on the trails in Philly! Enjoy your new endeavors.

I agree that Bobby Curtis' failure to recuse himself from the WC Marathon given his current fitness to allow a more qualified American to represent our country was inconsistent behavior.

Lickety Split wrote:

Ben Jammin wrote:

I had the fortune of handing Bobby his Sister Mary Cribben Award at Villanova. Class Act! He was such a hard worker with a kind heart and a great sense of humor. I wish he'd have stuck with the 10k for another year or two, but he ran some amazing marathons. Congrats Bobby, see you on the trails in Philly! Enjoy your new endeavors.

I agree that Bobby Curtis' failure to recuse himself from the WC Marathon given his current fitness to allow a more qualified American to represent our country was inconsistent behavior.

Get a life! The Hansons and Bobby thought that he was in 2:14 shape -- Bobby went through the half slightly ahead of this pace in 1:06:45. I can't think of a single athlete that ever pulled themselves from a U.S. national team because they were not in PR shape. Plus, how many marathoners does the US have that would have accepted an invitation and could have run 2:14 yesterday. By the way, 2:14 would have been 12th place.

- Thanks, I have a great life!

- IRT 2:14 shape & American Marathoners: that said ....I'll bite .. this is EZ: Jared Ward, Luke Puskedra, Abdi, Diego Estrada, Meb, etc. I don't count WCAP!

- The real question is ... in 2017 on the perfect day: Who expects a perfect day in London in July? Why would we send a guy who at best is capable of a 2:14. And I go back to, why didn't he offer up his spot if he's as magnanimous as folks claim?

- Did the Hanson's still claim him when he left Michigan?

Do you think it's fun for an athlete like Bobby to work through an injury, dedicate his summer to working (albeit part time) and training at an elite level, then travel to Europe, to put himself on the global stage of which all of his friends, family, and supporters are watching, only to have it go poorly over the final 6-8 miles? Nobody want's to do that, Bobby included.

And while he fell a little short of his seeded placing (28th fastest time), congrats to Bobby on finishing 42nd in the World out of the 98 starters, he could have very easily taken the easy way out like the 27 DNF's, including the USA's Agustus Maiyo.

trails for life wrote:

Strange... he only just recently took up the marathon. Even Haile took a few years to get the marathon sorted out. I figured he would have tried to chug on a few more. Oh well. Best of luck.

He took it up 5 yrs ago.

Give it up wrote:

Do you think it's fun for an athlete like Bobby to work through an injury, dedicate his summer to working (albeit part time) and training at an elite level, then travel to Europe, to put himself on the global stage of which all of his friends, family, and supporters are watching, only to have it go poorly over the final 6-8 miles? Nobody want's to do that, Bobby included.

And while he fell a little short of his seeded placing (28th fastest time), congrats to Bobby on finishing 42nd in the World out of the 98 starters, he could have very easily taken the easy way out like the 27 DNF's, including the USA's Agustus Maiyo.

- Wow! OK ... between this comment & a better understanding that plenty of Americans top marathoners turned it down ... I'll 'GIVE IT UP" for Bobby Curtis!