unofficial Kofuzi Los Angeles ‘Thon Prediction Contest

Remember that the course starts downhill and finishes uphill. 30k is still too early to tell. He should at minimum beat his 3:03 PB from CIM if he hangs on.

Had to look him up. So he's a vlogger.

Is he wearing the Asics metaspeed sky ?

Looks like sub 3 is going to be a very close call, after seeing his 30-35K split. Can he hang on for sub 3 after going out too fast early in the race?

I am devastated. 3:00:49

And he finished 3:00:49. Closest!

I haven't watched any of his content since he interviewed Walmsley last summer, just guessed based off of others' guesses.

Ouch.

Taggart trained too much on the treadmill. He had all sorts of crazy fast treadmill "tempo runs" that obviously were going to translate to 12-15sec/mile slower outside. I brought up in a tweet that Treadmill times obviously don't convert to outdoor paces because of Air Resistance differences...but he seemed to ignore that.

Plus LA is not a fast course (at least from when I ran it last at the US Champs in '15). There are just enough rolling hills to pound and damage your quads if you're not used to hills and pavement. They were lucky it wasn't as hot today as it could have been. It was still pretty warm and not ideal for fast times. Air pollution is another factor there.

Nice run for a nice guy. I am sure there is a measure of disappointment in getting so close. I am also sure that LRC posters will offer their repetitive critique that he needs to get rid of the go pro. He has already addressed this point saying that he enjoys taping races. It is what he does. It is what he wants to do. He also shared that breaking a 3:00 barrier is not earth shattering for him any more than breaking some other random time barrier. But posters here will get upset that he doesn't do what they recommend.

For the record, air quality was good. Even when air quality was much worse there decades ago, it was generally good in the mornings.

Honestly he might be worse off not having it. It might be the only thing pushing him further than he otherwise would without being filmed. If he didn't have the gopro I suspect he may end up walking during some of these blowups.

I'm glad that a professional runner has said that.

I've been slated on here for saying that treadmill running is easier than running outside. I see people on strava posting 18 flat 5k efforts on a treadmill, who then run 19:30-20 minutes in a real race.

Unfortunately websites such as this give a voice to low IQ detritus who can't handle the truth.

His pacing was very, very bad - ranging from 6:28 to 7:39 minutes/mile.

It takes considerable determination and resources to make yourself the main focal point of a YouTube channel. The prevalence of compact digital video cameras has given rise to a new level of ubiquitious action filming. With the evolution of YouTube, the ability to monetize these filmed video clips has given rise an explosion of content creators. The 'Running YouTuber' is very small niche in the endless number of channels attempting to lure the viewers attention and ultimatley a prized "Hit That Subscription button" for the purpose of increased numbers and profits.

The life expectancy of these channels is dependent on a number of factors, although the most important one seems to be the motivation and creativity of the content creator.

For the intended audience to stick with the creator with continued views depends upon a level of empathy and investement in time and interest in the creator's pursuits.

If the goal is to perform the best in a race then using a selfie stick and interacting with the crowd would seem to be detrimental to improving one's performance.

If the goal is to capture these race moments for your YouTube channel knowing it might sacrifice some performance but enhance the story telling aspect for your viewers then the motivation must be noted.

It should also be noted the above clip could easily be mistaken as a ASICS promotional video.

Here's a prize that I had to give myself:

Old Los Angeles

Terrible run, the guy has NO talent at all .. the fat guy that finished right behind him is wearing basic shoes. Kofuzi brought shame not only on himself but ASICS as well.

It is time to retire from running and maybe take up bodybuilding. That or become an “Ultra Runner”.

Don’t understand why at his weight he cannot break three.

Although I agree overall about the point you're making regarding treadmill running, I think it is at least somewhat offset by the fact that Taggart runs 150 miles a week. That's a lot of miles and I'm sure the treadmill helps protect against some of the pounding.

Also, it's been a cold and icy winter so its been difficult to get good quality work in outside.

Has he considered running without a selfie stick? Maybe hiring some local 2:40 guy or a relay team from a local running club to run alongside and get that sweet, sweet video content? I like him far better than SJD but, I cannot find sympathy when that stupid filming set-up is the cause of his failure.

This is common sense.

I do a lot of treadmill running in the winter here in the midwest, but in my personal experience you have to adjust the treadmill accordingly. E.g. run at an 8:30 pace on the treadmill if your target pace outdoors is 8:45/mile. Or run 10% more miles. Or put the treadmill on a slight incline. Or just accept that your performance outdoors isn't going to match your treadmill performance and move on with life.

No wind resistance. No hills. No turns. No uneven surfaces. Less muscle/joint fatigue due to the softer treadmill deck. Less mental energy used.

I like the treadmill, but you gotta be realistic.