Men’s US 1500m Final Predictions contest:

GreatDane wrote:

Mine are:

I would love to see Kessler win but my predictions are 1st Nuguse 3:31.74, 2nd Hocker 3:32.26, 3rd Kessler 3:32.44. My feeling is it will be pretty tactical. Nuguse has the superior fitness over everyone at the moment so will win outright. Hocker has a super kick and will edge ahead of Kessler in the straight.

Dirtrunner wrote:

In my mind it comes down to if Kessler can handle the championship setting in his first time out. Nuguse, teare, and hocker have all shown they can, so he'll have to race like he belongs to beat them. If they let it go tactical, then you open the door for a holt, green or maybe even Centro to upset.

Guft wrote:

Seb Coe.. wrote:

Context. Hocker did that off of like 5 weeks of training coming back from injury. He is the most gifted runner in this field, an additional 6 weeks of training since that race will be huge.

Hobbs is without a doubt the most precociously talented.

Nuguse just ran a time Hocker may never reach.

Hocker is average level giftedness.

koopa troopa wrote:

Guft wrote:

Hobbs is without a doubt the most precociously talented.

Nuguse just ran a time Hocker may never reach.

Hocker is average level giftedness.

Average level giftedness wtf are you stoopid. Mans ran 3:31 and the 6th at the Olympics at the age of 21.

Seb Coe.. wrote:

birdbeard wrote:

There are question marks about how some of these guys can perform through rounds, but I will go with Nuguse, Teare, Kessler.

All three of those guys have recent 1500 PRs and it seems they are healthy and in shape. I haven’t seen enough from Hocker to say the same. If he’s in shape, he is an easy pick for 1 or 2, but I didn’t find his 2nd place 3:34 to be as thrilling as the LetsRun staff in their glowing write up. He lost to a B-lister, plain and simple.

Context. Hocker did that off of like 5 weeks of training coming back from injury. He is the most gifted runner in this field, an additional 6 weeks of training since that race will be huge.

douchebagsanonymous wrote:

Seb Coe.. wrote:

Context. Hocker did that off of like 5 weeks of training coming back from injury. He is the most gifted runner in this field, an additional 6 weeks of training since that race will be huge.

Hocker has been on the comeback trail for a lot more than 5 weeks. Hocker has nipped Teare when it matters but has lost to him more than not over mile/15. On the other hand Kessler beat and out kicked Teare the very first time they raced last month. I suspect Hocker can outsprint Kessler in a short footrace but Kessler dropped a 1:45 in his first pro 800 and probably can go 1:44 if he tried again today. Hocker has a bunch of 1:46s. ... Kessler is more talented than Hocker but we're lucky to have 3 very talented and young milers...plus a handful of others that are super close to our top 3.

koopa troopa wrote:

Average level giftedness wtf are you stoopid. Mans ran 3:31 and the 6th at the Olympics at the age of 21.

Newname wrote:

Would like to see that.

But also rooting for Engels.

Cooper Teare makes team in 5k

zxcvzxcv wrote:

If the stalwarts all make the final, who has the incentive to make it fast? Not Nuguse, because he is confident about his kick and closed in sub-26 in a 3:47 mile. Not Hocker, because he's a kicker. Not Teare, because he believes in his kick. Not Centro, because he knows his kick (but he'll position himself close to the leader) though he could lead the race at a slow and gathering pace like he did seven years ago. Not Holt because he's a dark horse and knows he doesn't have the ability yet to run away from this group. Not Kessler, because he believes he's a kicker. But it may be mid 3:30s because otherwise these guys would be jogging.

Dirtrunner wrote:

In my mind it comes down to if Kessler can handle the championship setting in his first time out. Nuguse, teare, and hocker have all shown they can, so he'll have to race like he belongs to beat them.

Tyrone ReXXXing wrote:

Dirtrunner wrote:

In my mind it comes down to if Kessler can handle the championship setting in his first time out. Nuguse, teare, and hocker have all shown they can, so he'll have to race like he belongs to beat them.

Yeah I'm really surprised so many are picking kessler. He had the one huge High School time and then really had a bit of a disappointing year last year [ not horrible but just considering the expectations]. This year through the winter he was really up and down. Now this spring he has certainly shown some consistency but.... we have no idea how he will do with rounds and Championship racing against elites.

I feel there are too many question marks to pick him. I do not think he will be top three but will not be disappointed to be wrong.

Seb Coe.. wrote:

GreatDane wrote:

Mine are:

I would love to see Kessler win but my predictions are 1st Nuguse 3:31.74, 2nd Hocker 3:32.26, 3rd Kessler 3:32.44. My feeling is it will be pretty tactical. Nuguse has the superior fitness over everyone at the moment so will win outright. Hocker has a super kick and will edge ahead of Kessler in the straight.

I wouldn't call 3:31 pretty tactical. That would be by far the fastest winning time in US Champs history and would essentially be a time trial for everyone but Nuguse.

John Wesley Harding wrote:

Seb Coe.. wrote:

I wouldn't call 3:31 pretty tactical. That would be by far the fastest winning time in US Champs history and would essentially be a time trial for everyone but Nuguse.

No kidding. Kessler PRs and the other two both run their second fastest times ever = pretty tactical.

GreatDane wrote:

John Wesley Harding wrote:

No kidding. Kessler PRs and the other two both run their second fastest times ever = pretty tactical.

Who says a race tactic can’t be to run a fast race?