Has Gwen Jorgensen lost her freaking mind?

Maybe she likes to set big goals, even if they are impossible. I agree that she isn't winning Oly Marathon gold, but good on her if she wants to try. She could follow in the footsteps of wejo and WIN THE MCM, though!

10 mile PR at 5:18 pace - beat some good runners in that race; if she can train up to that level for the marathon she'll be competitive to make the team. Improve on that level (no guarantees) to mid or high 52s and maybe she can do something at a championship or world major.

...start a on thread on this.

Thanks for summarizing half of this thread for everybody...

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=8525227&page=9

I'll cover the other half for you so you don't have to go read it but you can go yell into the void with everyone else instead of alone...

1) She has trained high volume for the triathlon for a long time now. That 2:41 debut was with a lot more base than most marathon debuts.

Counterpoint: She won a 3 day international triathalon competition the weekend before NYC, she had never run more than 16 miles before the race and 50something miles per week. She was 10 days past "conception" of her new son, not exactly the roughest part of pregnancy but also probably messing with your hormones by then. Not exactly tapered or having a running/pounding specific strength buildup for a goal race.

2) Just because you win the triathlon, doesn't mean you are remotely nearly talented enough to succeed at running. Its pretty well known that the tri is significantly less competitive than running, let alone marathon running.

Counterpoint: It's true, but she also dominated the crap out of that less competitive sport, so it's hard to penalize her for trying to find higher competition now. You coudn't exactly ask more of her than what she did in the tri...except beat everybody every time by even more minutes maybe?

3) Shes tall - 5 ft 10. This helped her for the triathlon but its going to hurt a lot for marathons.

One person who has met her claims 5'10" isn't accurate to her true height, Paula Radcliffe was nearly as tall and did fine as a marathoner. Guys taller than 5'10" like Galen Rupp have done fine too.

4) Shes been a runner before and was not that good. Her 10k PR may be blazing fast for the triathlon world, but its 5:25 mile pace. Jordan Hasay runs 5:23 pace for the MARATHON, not a track 10k. She may have improved a bit since then, but shes still worlds away.

You're stuck on college times. She ran a 5:12 pace 10k road race in Australia in 2014 on tri training and a 5:19 pace at the 10 mile championships in Minnesota last fall before NYC. Jordan Hasay was also in that race and ran 5:17 pace, so we're talking about a time difference of less than 1%. You don't think going back to dedicated running training could close a gap of 0.7%? Further, to give you an idea of how maybe college times may not be representative of final potential, her 5k PR from college was only 1s different than Hasay's...who apparently she can't compete with?

I imagine this is also a terrible financial decision.

She killed it on the tri circuit and made about $200,00 last year. one big marathon alone is at least half that for the win. Plus bigger sponsors and more eyes on running, plus she's probably about to sign with Nike and join bowerman track club, plus the expenses and time commitment to travel the tri circuit is incredibly draining, especially with a newborn and the competition, as you noted isn't great if you're a competitor. so while i doubt it's a terrible financial decision, even if it is sometimes people make life decisions based on things other than money, especially if you have enough money.

TL:DR, it's a bold claim, she probably won't do it, but to put in all that effort you have to aim high, and while unlikely she hasn't totally lost her mind to at least give it a try because she's talented and has an otherwordly work ethic. Let's leave this thread alone now and head back to the other one. One is enough.

Having won an Olympic gold and been unquestionably the best in the world at one discipline the key question is whether she will be able to summon up the same level of commitment/dedication/motivation for this new challenge?

If she can do this, from what other posters have said, she won't be a million miles away from dipping under 2:30 - and how far from a US team is that - certainly for a World Champs if not an Olympics?

She has set a higher goal in the marathon than Mo Farah has, and he's repeat champ at 10000m (running!) and world medallist at the HM (running). Yes she is s-hit-hot at tri and I've watched her many times but at the end of the day its a Mickey Mouse sport - typically people who are mediocre at three sports.

I'm curious no-one has mentioned Brownlee, does anyone think he could win the Olympic marathon? In relative terms his 10k is much better than Gwen's...

Gwen is not Mo wrote:

I'm curious no-one has mentioned Brownlee, does anyone think he could win the Olympic marathon? In relative terms his 10k is much better than Gwen's...

Not trying to deflect there, I'm saying that if it is unrealistic for Brownlee to do it, its way more unrealistic for Gwen that's all.

Yeah well the womens field doesn't have the depth of the mens field. Brownlee could prob run low 2:1x but that would leave him far oss the back, even behind Gulag Rope.

Gwen is not Mo wrote:

if it is unrealistic for Brownlee to do it, its way more unrealistic for Gwen that's all.

I haven't heard of him. What Olympic medals has he won?

Alistair Brownlee is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, a two-time triathlon world champion, a two-time triathlon team world champion, and a three-time European champion.

David S. Pumpkins wrote:

TShe was 10 days past "conception" of her new son, not exactly the roughest part of pregnancy but also probably messing with your hormones by then. .

No. She was 10 days past the date of her last period. She had not yet "conceived"...

Yes, It is a very arrogant and delusional approach to running. This isn't the triathlon, so to say that in 2 years you are going to go after the gold is absolutely absurd.

First, there is this thing called the Olympic trials, where a runner who wants to run in the Olympics must qualify by gaining a top 3 qualifying spot. Now, even before that, she must run an Olympic trials qualifying standard, and she has never run that time.

Now had she said that she is going to focus on trying to qualify for the Olympics, then that would have made more sense, and would have been less pompous.

This woman does not have any track experience or PRO road running experience, but yet in still she thinks she can compete against runners who have 15 min 5000m speed and 30 min 10000m speed. The top American female marathon runner runs 2:20. Gwen is a 2:40 plus marathoner, and she thinks that she is going to be able to compete with that in 2 years? Not happening, and she is not going to beat out Hasay, Huddle, Flanigan, Linden, Cragg, or Hall for an Olympic spot.

Again, she said that she is going to focus on winning gold in the up coming Olympic marathon....and if by some glory miracle should did make it to the Olympics, she would have to face the mighty east Africans.

Would someone please slap this woman into reality and how road running is really done.

"OmG wHaT a BaD dEsIcIoN, sHeS fOlLoWiNg HeR dReAmS aNd DoInG wHaT sHe FeEls Is BeSt FoR hEr!!!"

You concern yourself with her life decisions and goals. How is this helping you? You sound like someone off gossip girl. Go and focus on yourself and your goals buddy. Maybe if you learn to do what is best for you, instead of trashing others goals , you might just do something you won't believe.

I think the biggest concern is the mileage bump. It's a huge question mark for anyone and can take time to pay off even if it leads to eventual success.

Scorpion_runner wrote:

[quote]First things first Im a Realist wrote:

This woman does not have any track experience or PRO road running experience, but yet in still she thinks she can compete against runners who have 15 min 5000m speed and 30 min 10000m speed. The top American female marathon runner runs 2:20. Gwen is a 2:40 plus marathoner, and she thinks that she is going to be able to compete with that in 2 years? Not happening, and she is not going to beat out Hasay, Huddle, Flanigan, Linden, Cragg, or Hall for an Olympic spot.

Again, she said that she is going to focus on winning gold in the up coming Olympic marathon....and if by some glory miracle should did make it to the Olympics, she would have to face the mighty east Africans.

Would someone please slap this woman into reality and how road running is really done.

Did you forget that she did race the 10 Mile Championships, was with Hasay for much of the race and actually did beat Hall?

Prediction, this triathlete-turned-runner will have a greater impact on her new sport than famous runner-turned-triathlete Alan Webb did when he moved to triathlon.

Jose the Plomero wrote:

Prediction, this triathlete-turned-runner will have a greater impact on her new sport than famous runner-turned-triathlete Alan Webb did when he moved to triathlon.

Ouch.

Too tall? Isn't Paul Tergat 6'1"?

Jose the Plomero wrote:

Prediction, this triathlete-turned-runner will have a greater impact on her new sport than famous runner-turned-triathlete Alan Webb did when he moved to triathlon.

Well duh. Gwen was still at the peak or maybe not even yet at the peak of her sport...Webb was long past his peak in running.