I actually didn’t know that anyone thought he’d burn out
LOL at Rojo inventing and then dispelling a rumor all in the span of one thread title. Nice conversation you're having with yourself there, Robby.
Anyone that knows Andy Powell’s background would reasonably wonder if Owen might burn out. Andy was an all time great HS runner. He still had a good collegiate career at Stanford but relatively speaking, he was much better in HS. There were stories of some insane workouts he did while in HS. Educate yourself son.
Oh, please, spare us the drama—people clutching their pearls over Owen Powell burning out because his parents are big-shot coaches can shove it. This kid’s only slogging through a pathetic 50 miles per week, which is basically a casual jog for anyone serious. If you think that’s gonna break him, you’re as clueless as he is pampered. Famous parents or not, he’s coasting, not crumbling. Get a grip.
He won’t burn out. But he’ll peak out because his raw speed is mediocre, he’s getting by in the 800 on strength. If he moves up he’ll be fine but he’s no 800/1500 guy like Kessler.
He is a promising runner, but I wonder, with both his parents being accomplished runners and coaches, whether he is closer to his peak than some others, although he is already pretty good obviously.
The bigger question here is does it really matter what kind of training you get in high school if you're extremely talented. Bottom line, Owen is a unicorn and would be successful in almost any environment. I don't think he'll burn out. His talent also won't go away. The article says it was never a sure thing that he would be a great runner until he started running more seriously late sophomore year, but clearly the signs were there--he ran 4:17 as a freshman! Andy was a great runner and is a great coach. Owen is a great kid and an amazing talent. This situation is another data point that talent matters and it's often a matter of "good" genes. Couple that with good parenting and what seems to be good high school coaching and everything comes together. But even with bad high school coaching I'm sure Owen would have figured it out.
I find it very hard to believe that two great coaches have zero involvement in their son's training. Especially considering he just ran 3:56 indoors...
Oh, please, spare us the drama—people clutching their pearls over Owen Powell burning out because his parents are big-shot coaches can shove it. This kid’s only slogging through a pathetic 50 miles per week, which is basically a casual jog for anyone serious. If you think that’s gonna break him, you’re as clueless as he is pampered. Famous parents or not, he’s coasting, not crumbling. Get a grip.
He won’t burn out. But he’ll peak out because his raw speed is mediocre, he’s getting by in the 800 on strength. If he moves up he’ll be fine but he’s no 800/1500 guy like Kessler.
He won’t burn out. But he’ll peak out because his raw speed is mediocre, he’s getting by in the 800 on strength. If he moves up he’ll be fine but he’s no 800/1500 guy like Kessler.
He’s run 49 in the open 400 as a junior.
i think his speed is on the better side.
That’s not really all that fast, even for a junior who’s looking to make it to the very top.
Kessler was obviously capable of running a much faster 400. That’s like noting Ryun’s best 440 was 50.6 in HS. Owen needs to show he can run well under 49 or he’ll have to give up the two lapper post HS.
Kessler was obviously capable of running a much faster 400. That’s like noting Ryun’s best 440 was 50.6 in HS. Owen needs to show he can run well under 49 or he’ll have to give up the two lapper post HS.
“Powel is slower than Kessler in a 400”
“actually he had a faster official time, and that’s as a junior”
That’s not really all that fast, even for a junior who’s looking to make it to the very top.
Powell is tremendously speed based, not strength based. Kid routinely runs 49-50 reps for 400m in practice. Probably a 47-split 400 guy and could approach 1:47 this year.
Just had to read up on Andy's past in hs, I always forget he's from Massachusetts. This article is actually really good, and always good to discover runners from the past. Wasn't familiar with this Franklyn Sanchez guy Andy ran against in hs. Apparently he had the American junior record in the 5k. Also mentions other Mass/Boston area hs legends like Said Ahmed guy who was pure speed in hs, had the 600m hs national record not sure if he had the 500m as well. Funny a Somali kid with the 500m record.
The Indelible Duel Franklyn Sanchez, Andy Powell and the Race That Changed Everything An Oral History by Dave Devine _____ Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the sli...
