Meet Charlie Marquardt - a guy with a full-time job and no shoe contract who just broke 4 for the 1st time in style @ 3:55

It will catch up to him? He just ran 3:55! If it hasn't caught up to him by now, I don't think it matters. If anything, maybe he can shave another second if he embraces those things. Also it's very interesting that Coach Donnelly wants him to keep his job. Gotta have that hungry mindset I guess? It's unbelievable that he can train at that level while working. Hopefully he can find a way to cut it down to 36 hours. Is that even the record for the Bryn Mawr Running Co. jersey, or did Paranya or a Villanova guy or Terrence Mahon run faster?

runn wrote:

He was one of my teammates in college and the guy literally does not stretch/do core/lift/watch his eating, or do any of the ancillary work people obsess over.

That will catch up to him. When you're young it's easy to neglect that stuff, just wait.

DO NOT neglect all that "obsessive" stuff.

Back on topic, I love these stories. I remember a time when most runners had jobs (or they lived in their cars).

The beauty of pro aspect is that careers can be longer for the elite.

I want this guy to make it.

rojo wrote:

LRC Track is Bizack wrote:

Come on letsrun. This dude is jersey worthy.

Ha. He reminded me of my brother. A shoe company once told weldon he was worth 7.5k per year. We'd rather run for ourselves.

Spoken like a true trust fund baby. You can't make this up.

runn wrote:

He was one of my teammates in college and the guy literally does not stretch/do core/lift/watch his eating, or do any of the ancillary work people obsess over.

That will catch up to him. When you're young it's easy to neglect that stuff, just wait.

DO NOT neglect all that "obsessive" stuff.

Back on topic, I love these stories. I remember a time when most runners had jobs (or they lived in their cars).

The beauty of pro aspect is that careers can be longer for the elite.

I want this guy to make it.

I think his story shows how pointless all that stuff is. If you're a pro, that stuff probably adds a little bit. For the average guy trying to double and work a full time job, its much better to focus on running 2x a day than trying to get into the gym or do a bunch of core when you finish running at 9 pm. You should be taking the opposite opinion based on Marquardt.

I’d say it all depends on the athlete. Yes, running as much volume as your work schedule permits will result in better results for many runners, but only for those who are able to stay healthy without ancillary work. Core/diet/quality sleep/etc. are not just frilly luxuries for pros looking to gain a a slight edge on their peers; the so-called “little things” are also necessities for many oft-injured runners who work full-time jobs. For some, the ancillary exercises are even more important than actually training.

Well then who cares about any runner? Rupp is just talented.

Your post is depressing but does point out one of the reasons why I think running isn't as interesting to me and many others as it was say 30 years ago. In my mind, training has been largely solved. So if everyone does everything right then the the winners end up being the most talented.

I agree with you. It's largely pointless. When I was coaching at Cornell, so many kids wanted to do weights and drills. Yes, we'd do the drills as part of the warmup and do some weights but I always remember a few incoming freshmen asking me about it as if it was the key.

I'd be like, "Dude, you are a freshman at an Ivy League school. You only have so much time in a day. Running is most important and you aren't runnign enough. We can always add that stuff in later."

Now Weldon after running 28:06 after only running 9:30 in HS talks longingly about how he should have done more drills and weights as if he really missed out. Perhaps if he'd done all that crap he wouldn't have gotten hurt. Who knows but I think he did pretty damn well for himself.

The final 1% takes up a ton of time and resources and produces few benefits. Now if you can afford massage and an alter-g, then it might help.

The final 1% makes a difference to 1% of the runners.

Shakespeare ---King John, 1595:

SALISBURY:

Therefore, to be possess'd with double pomp,

To guard a title that was rich before,

To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,

To throw a perfume on the violet,

To smooth the ice, or add another hue

Unto the rainbow, or with taper-light

To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,

Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.

Racing sub-4 mile used to mean likely future 1500m Olympian. It's interesting when we hear an elite 400/800 guy has broken four for one mile. It's interesting when we hear an elite Marathon runner has officially broken four for a mile. Folks, sub-4 for a mile is similar to high school kids and D3 young men racing sub-50 400m.

The IAAF's new selection system may well make the dream of snagging a spot on a US World/Olympic team even harder for someone like CM. And make it practically impossible to do so while holding down a real job.

If the auto entry times are made much more difficult, which IAAF has suggested is coming for Doha and Tokyo, that standard is probably going to be out of reach for CM.

The alternate path of qualifying by the new ranking system is heavily weighed in favor of those granted entry to IAAF meets convenient for athletes from the countries that run IAAF.

Flying to a rabbited US race to get a Q and then hoping to get top 3 at the Trials isn't going to fly anymore. Good luck qualifying on the Euro circuit while working full-time in Philly.

I was at H'ford in the '70's. Enjoyed the detail of TD's comments; everything he says is exactly what I'd expect him to say.

congrats but who cares wrote:

congrats to charlie but why is this a big deal? He was a very talented runner in high school who up to now was underachieving.

He's a 1500m runner, that's easier to train for with a full time job than marathon or ultra marathons because it's much less mileage.

even his own teammate in this topic said he doesn't even do the little things, so i'd hardly consider him a working class hero or whatever terminology they use. just talented, not necessarily an underdog story of a guy who willed himself to success.

It`s not much less mileage in my world of coaching. Just saying it. All runners can succeed up to their potential at 800m-ULTRA on just relatively low mileage. magic AT coachjs DOT se show you the way to do it!.

the gentleman wrote:

Was it really necessary to include the detail that the guy on the bus next to him smelled like sh*t? Dehumanizing with no real journalistic purpose.

I wrote this exact same thing and it was deleted

And then Weldon lies about have gestapo tactics. They delete critical thread ALL THE TIME.

That is a record in our singlet! Paranya did run faster, but was running for Asics at the time and working in the store. Mahon did run for the store, but after his (better)days with Enclave. We have had some speedy guys over the years wearing the singlet...Gerry O'reilly, Jim Norris, Seamus McGeligott, Scott Tantino, Mike McKeeman, Cameron Marantz, Dawson twins to name a few.

Hbhbu wrote:

Come on Puma, Reebok, Hoka, step up, great article. Thanks. Go Charlie

The guy doesn't mean squat in the world of track and field, sub 4 is meaningless in the real world of racing. A free pair shoes at best.

Maybe he needs a Go Fund Me travel account. If all the commenters on this and the previous "Dude Dives at the line" thread gave $5-10, he could probably make it to some better meets. Anyone who holds down a full-time job and can train for and run a sub 4:00 mile, deserves a bit of respect and support. Or maybe Lets Run can start a "Deserving but Unsponsored Athletes" thread/fund.