Colorado Springs is actually the best place in Colorado to train. Over 6,000 ft.
There is also this big Olympic training center here, all kinds of machines and testing. Doctors, specialists. Cheaper than Boulder, has its own airport…
Rumors of this last month but yes, Sarah has had lots of big scoops recently.
Makes sense to move to Boulder given Pete lives there now and altitude training is becoming even more desired than it once was. And flights out of Denver are probably more convenient to most locations relative to Portland.
The tracks in Boulder and Flagstaff are becoming the most used in the world by elite level athletes.
Albuquerque is still better than Boulder for altitude, weather and access to trails and airport. But it is less cool than Boulder. Kenyans, Moroccans all the elite elite come to Albuquerque, all those who want to be elite go to Boulder
Albuquerque's nice but if you stop running your shoes might get stolen off your feet.
I don't know why elites use Boulder as their base of training. ~5xxx feet is not high enough. And it's way too comfortable of a place.
In the CO region, go up to Alamosa or Laramie or places like that with real altitudes that benefit your training.
Pat Porter won 8 US XC titles and top 10 in World XC four times living in a cold, arid, high altitude place. And held a road 10k word record (which Ingy just barely finished ahead of recently).
Speaking of Pat Porter, absolutely devastating cause of death. So sad his son died with him as well.
people have to actually want to live in the places they are training. You need to be able to fill the rest of your day with something you enjoy.
A few years ago the Bowerman athletes were mad about moving from Portland to Eugene and it had nothing to do with it being a worse place for training. They just didn't want to live in Eugene.
If people just want to train and sleep Albuquerque and Laramie aren't stopping them from going. But most people want to enjoy the rest of their hours in the day as well and dont think they'd enjoy them as much in those higher altitude places.
Rumors of this last month but yes, Sarah has had lots of big scoops recently.
Makes sense to move to Boulder given Pete lives there now and altitude training is becoming even more desired than it once was. And flights out of Denver are probably more convenient to most locations relative to Portland.
The tracks in Boulder and Flagstaff are becoming the most used in the world by elite level athletes.
Pete makes the most sense, but it doesn't exactly matter. What, they were going to form a group in CO and hire someone else for that role? Who, Allen Cullpeper? His burned bridges are still smoldering. Ritz won't see another dime of Nike salary in his lifetime, at least until both Salazar and Capriotti drop dead. Simmons is too slippery. Wetmore would have been the only qualified alternative, albeit a far more interesting one.
Expect more fireworks out of sleepy Niwot. Unless Carlson reverses the old ways at Potts.
How about Dani Jones to Union? Val Constien? Bet Noah Droody wants on that gravy train. Don't see Cranny wanting Pete as her coach, but then she didn't medal in Paris so she might be coerced into an in-house coach at re-signing time.
people have to actually want to live in the places they are training. You need to be able to fill the rest of your day with something you enjoy.
A few years ago the Bowerman athletes were mad about moving from Portland to Eugene and it had nothing to do with it being a worse place for training. They just didn't want to live in Eugene.
If people just want to train and sleep Albuquerque and Laramie aren't stopping them from going. But most people want to enjoy the rest of their hours in the day as well and don't think they'd enjoy them as much in those higher altitude places.
Remember Mammoth Lakes, at 8000' in the Sierra Nevada Mtns, the first "modern" US distance training venue popularized by Bob Larson/Meb & Joe Vigil/Deena back around 2001?
In its heyday, Mammoth was the place to be for US distance runners. Deena & Meb's virtual immediate success in the marathon attracted everybody who was anybody in that era. Even Gabe Jennings spent some time there.
But now? Just a sub-elite Mammoth Track Club run by Deena.
Fantastic place to visit -- still a huge attraction for high schoolers and collegians attending summer altitude camps and training vacations -- but for most, you wouldn't want to live there.
Why?
Terrance Mahon's coaching may have played a role in the exodus of some of the elite runners.
However, Mammoth Lakes is also quite a ways away from a "low" altitude track training site. Drive down the mountain to US-395 and you're still at over 7000', some 40 miles away from the nearest track located in Bishop at 4100'. In this regard, Mammoth just cannot compete with Flagstaff and Park City. Mammoth may be great for marathoners who don't necessarily need track training -- but not so good for everyone else.
And then there is the explanation highlighted above.
Mammoth Lakes is a one-street town. Essentially closes at 10. Not a place for someone who lives and dies for the opera. With no way to run the trails during winter.
So, yeah, there are reasons why other high altitude locations like Laramie, Alamosa, Durango, Leadville, Santa Fe, etc. haven't caught on.
Mammoth Lakes is a one-street town. Essentially closes at 10. Not a place for someone who lives and dies for the opera. With no way to run the trails during winter.
Except the elites aren’t getting paid to attend the opera.
I don't know why elites use Boulder as their base of training. ~5xxx feet is not high enough. And it's way too comfortable of a place.
In the CO region, go up to Alamosa or Laramie or places like that with real altitudes that benefit your training.
Pat Porter won 8 US XC titles and top 10 in World XC four times living in a cold, arid, high altitude place. And held a road 10k word record (which Ingy just barely finished ahead of recently).
Speaking of Pat Porter, absolutely devastating cause of death. So sad his son died with him as well.
This is 100% true. Boulder or Denver make no sense
I don't know why elites use Boulder as their base of training. ~5xxx feet is not high enough. And it's way too comfortable of a place.
In the CO region, go up to Alamosa or Laramie or places like that with real altitudes that benefit your training.
Pat Porter won 8 US XC titles and top 10 in World XC four times living in a cold, arid, high altitude place. And held a road 10k word record (which Ingy just barely finished ahead of recently).
Speaking of Pat Porter, absolutely devastating cause of death. So sad his son died with him as well.
This is 100% true. Boulder or Denver make no sense
They go to Boulder for clout and clicks. Social media is more important than performance these days.
Once again, Sarah Lorge-Butler and Runner’s World with a scoop that Gault and LRC should have, but could not get.
Again, why do we need to get this scoop? It's published and we link to it. There is next to know money in breaking news. But there is money in having people like yourself post free content on my messageboard. Love us or hate us, I don't care just keep talking about us. Thanks.
And, like Jess Hull, Elise does have track session training partners; male training partners named Tai Dinger/ex-Stanford and Charles Sweeney/ex-CU. One or both were even up at St. Moritz to help her out during the two weeks prior to the Olympics.
Can you confirm that both guys are in the friend zone and trying to jump ladders?
The ladder theory is a funny, scientific explanation of how men and women are attracted to each other. It also covers such topics as why women sometimes just want to be friends but men always want sex.
Everyone is missing the point. Union has had a few pretty poor seasons and rumor was that Nike was shutting it down and now not only not shutting down? Not making a coaching change they are dumping more money into a failed group. Jerry and bowerman take lots of crap on here and people are always calling for his scalp but union has a worse year and they skate by
I don’t see this change the way you do. To me this indicates Nike is putting increased pressure on Julian. Nike is no longer content to have a team coached remotely by someone multiple states away. They chose to make the team move because training at altitude is more ideal than forcing Julian to move to Portland. This is probably his last chance to make things work.
Pat Porter won 8 US XC titles and top 10 in World XC four times living in a cold, arid, high altitude place. And held a road 10k word record (which Ingy just barely finished ahead