Stewy McSewyn is the real MVP

Another very smart and informative post.

On the flip side of the "sitting back waiting for collapse" are the Johnny Gray approaches of lead as if no one is capable of going with them, putting yourself in a hole, and expecting to come out on top. As you did against inferior competition.

With Jakob being so young, McSweyn and coaches will have to find a niche other than just leading at a steady pace if he ever wants the top of the podium. Your thoughts?

In short, Paul Chelimo left Kenya before he could learn how to race honestly?

Also, how different is this American system from the Ethiopian MO, where they'll never push a race and wait till the last 200/100m?

potato_salad wrote:

Racing is about honor. if you run from the front, you have it and you will receive it.

if you run from the back, you are a pvssy.

Strange. I thought racing was about winning or achieving your best performance.

GreatDane1 wrote:

He's the Prefontaine of Australia! Great runner and isn't afraid to put it all on the line from the gun!

Yes he is!

Its not about running fast vs winning

These two are not diametrically opposed.

It's not about what you'd rather have, a medal or a fast time. Because, again, these aren't mutually exclusive. Posing this "would you rather-" is stupid.

As a spectator and a competitor, we dont just value medals but also performing to the best of ones ability.

Awsi Dooger wrote:

Likewise the fans are overly enamored by finishing tactic. A victorious frontrunner receives moderate applause while the late closer is greeted like a hero.

Youre right. This stupid mentality plagues our sport.

I love Stewie, but the fact is, he is racing the way he has to in order to put himself in the best position possible at the end of the race.

It really seems he would be more cut out for the 5k or even up to 10k, but sometimes this is just a person's M.O. Perhaps he goes up to those distances and the same thing happens. I assume there is a reason he chooses to focus on the 1500 versus those longer distances.

Well, maybe one of these days, maybe in 2024 or another big race, McSweyn will go out front and nobody will catch him.

Stranger things have happened. He's not chopped liver, and nobody is superman, anybody can be beaten at any distance.

OozmaKappa wrote:

Its not about running fast vs winning

These two are not diametrically opposed.

It's not about what you'd rather have, a medal or a fast time. Because, again, these aren't mutually exclusive. Posing this "would you rather-" is stupid.

As a spectator and a competitor, we dont just value medals but also performing to the best of ones ability.

So do you think people running 1500 meters on a world stage do not run what they believe is to the best of their ability? Maybe that is exactly what they are doing. However, they know what that is. You & I do not.

Rabbited races are about running fast. Championship races are about winning regardless of time. It's a race to the swing set on the playground -- the time means nothing. Stretching your philosophy, is it more honorable to be a rabbit than the WR set in the same race?

Again, I believe McSweyn is running a strategy he believes is optimal for his skill set, nothing more, nothing less.

When people run damn near 20 seconds off their PBs in a 1500, im pretty sure they're not running their best.

staminat wrote:

I love how he always goes hard from the gun in every race, he is very entertaining. I hope he wins big one day.

Him refusing to run with any sort of self-awareness is the reason he's actually not the MVP and loses

WinnytheBish wrote:

staminat wrote:

I love how he always goes hard from the gun in every race, he is very entertaining. I hope he wins big one day.

Him refusing to run with any sort of self-awareness is the reason he's actually not the MVP and loses

This is an awful take. McSweyn has no choice but to go to the front because his finishing speed isn’t very good. He couldn’t make it through the rounds in Doha even though he had run 3:31 that year.

You shouldn’t be criticizing people when you don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about.

OozmaKappa wrote:

When people run damn near 20 seconds off their PBs in a 1500, im pretty sure they're not running their best.

I honestly mean this as respectful, but I don't think you understand racing with so much at stake. The goal is to win. With all talent, strategy, peaking, etc. even, leading and pushing the pace is near or at the top of the list to guarantee you don't win.

The poster that said McSweyn led because he had to gets it. Are you aware that the 3rd lap slowed quite a bit and McSweyn spent most of his time looking back at the pack. A brave front runner trying to break Jakob or a guy maximizing his skill set and trying to stay clear of the pack?

If you run 20 seconds off your pb you dont deserve to win the steak bro

winnythedunce wrote:

WinnytheBish wrote:

Him refusing to run with any sort of self-awareness is the reason he's actually not the MVP and loses

This is an awful take. McSweyn has no choice but to go to the front because his finishing speed isn’t very good. He couldn’t make it through the rounds in Doha even though he had run 3:31 that year.

You shouldn’t be criticizing people when you don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about.

Maybe his finishing speed isn't good because he blows his wad early every race. He couldn't make it through the rounds because he had to hammer at the front again. Go pre!

WinnytheBish wrote:

staminat wrote:

I love how he always goes hard from the gun in every race, he is very entertaining. I hope he wins big one day.

Him refusing to run with any sort of self-awareness is the reason he's actually not the MVP and loses

Exact opposite he knows he doesn’t have that kick to go when it comes but has insane strength so he has to push pace out the front

WinnytheBish wrote:

winnythedunce wrote:

This is an awful take. McSweyn has no choice but to go to the front because his finishing speed isn’t very good. He couldn’t make it through the rounds in Doha even though he had run 3:31 that year.

You shouldn’t be criticizing people when you don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about.

Maybe his finishing speed isn't good because he blows his wad early every race. He couldn't make it through the rounds because he had to hammer at the front again. Go pre!

you can look at the results from Doha. This is the biggest peak into why Stewy is the runner that he is. His kick is just always going to be 1 second slower than the big dogs.

The results are easy to find. splits broken down every 100 meters. A powerful kick, started between 400>100 meters is just not something he has in his toolbox against top 10-15 international competition.

poetknowit wrote:

I also love the Ozzy, but I really wish he had a better kick.

If he had a better kick he wouldn't be pushing the pace. He is 'one paced' because even for a tall guy, he has short strides and little backlift, hence less air time.

Absolutely no acceleration to the extent that he even gets left dead last in first 100m in every race, then has to gun it to catch up and keep the pace up. Yes, you can time trial that way, but hard to win big races.

Look at his OG 100m splits, slowest top speed in final and amongst slowest overall. Narrowest pace range. The perfect example of 'one pace'.

Yet Bideau claims its not an issue, and that he 'has speed in fast races".

He's fast becoming the rabbit for those with kicks

OozmaKappa wrote:

When people run damn near 20 seconds off their PBs in a 1500, im pretty sure they're not running their best.

I know you know this, but in middle distance racing, "best" and "fastest time" are not always the same. In a race, where the goal is to win, what is "best" depends on what other runners are doing. If the running 20 seconds off their PB makes it more likely they will win, then they are running their best.

In other words, in middle d, the need to strategize, to react to the other runners in the race, breaks the simple connection between running a fast race and running the best race. Sometimes, the best way to beat the rest of the field is not to go out fast.

Going out fast may be honorable, but it may also be stupid (ie, bad strategy).