Show your work. What proof do we have that he’s in good shape?
At the 2025 Sound Running Track Fest (May 2025), Woody placed 4th in a deep men’s 5000 m field, clocking 13:06.15. He ran a 3:37.47 1500 on June 14 in Massachusetts. This is very close to his PR (3:37.36).
Show your work. What proof do we have that he’s in good shape?
At the 2025 Sound Running Track Fest (May 2025), Woody placed 4th in a deep men’s 5000 m field, clocking 13:06.15. He ran a 3:37.47 1500 on June 14 in Massachusetts. This is very close to his PR (3:37.36).
I think the poster asked what proof do we have that Woody is in good shape, not what proof do we have that he might be able to place high in an NCAA meet.
At the 2025 Sound Running Track Fest (May 2025), Woody placed 4th in a deep men’s 5000 m field, clocking 13:06.15. He ran a 3:37.47 1500 on June 14 in Massachusetts. This is very close to his PR (3:37.36).
I think the poster asked what proof do we have that Woody is in good shape, not what proof do we have that he might be able to place high in an NCAA meet.
He's in good shape and has a ferocious kick. The man makes teams over and over.
If the pace is slow tonight, he will make the team and Blanks will stay home.
My god I never said I forgot about him
Was thinking about starting a thread on the men's 10,000 similar to the current women's 10,000, but realized there wasn't much to write about other than the 3 spots will go to the 4 who currently have the 27-flat Tokyo Q.
Next two on the list, Muhumed & Clinger, are way too far down the WA rankings list to make a difference, even with a top-3 finish.
However, the OP is correct: discount Woody at your own peril. He makes every US team he tries out for. His 10,000 PR is only 0.2 slower than Blanks. And, given his light racing schedule this year, I equate Woody to the cobra hiding in deep grass, waiting for the last moment to make one lethal strike: his noted 54-last-lap kick, mowing down whomever is in 3rd place. And, I suspect, going into the 25 lap, that guy in 3rd place will be Graham, as Grant & Nico will start pulling away from him or have already pulled away from Graham by 400 to go.
One other point no one has mentioned about this race: Graham has only raced in one 10,000 championship track race in his life, that being the NCAA finals in TX two years ago . . . where he finished 6th. Maybe his two NCAA XC titles more than compensates on the experience meter, maybe not.
So -- although I would prefer to see Grant, Nico & Graham comprise the team as they are the present & future of US 10,000 running while Woody has performed terribly in global competitions and is on the way out anyway -- suspect Woody will get about 20 meters behind Graham going into the final lap . .. then run him down for a spot on the line in Tokyo.
Graham Blanks, Nico Young, Woody Kincaid, and Grant Fisher the clear favorites but only three go to Worlds. someone might run the race of their life and STILL not make the team.
who have you got?
Yeah, you.
Why is Kincaid there? Guy had a good run but he's clearly done. Does he even have the standard?
And, are you the Oracle of t&f who can peer into the future to inform everyone in the present that Woody "is clearly done?"
Since you are not, those who do know t&f are picking Woody as the dark horse of the Big 4, kicking down whomever is in 3rd place at the bell, most likely Graham, to advance to Tokyo.
Woody is a great kicker, but if the pace is fast in the middle of the race he often breaks. Fisher, Young, and Blanks are also great kickers. If all four are still together with a lap to go then it's anyone's race.
And, are you the Oracle of t&f who can peer into the future to inform everyone in the present that Woody "is clearly done?"
Since you are not, those who do know t&f are picking Woody as the dark horse of the Big 4, kicking down whomever is in 3rd place at the bell, most likely Graham, to advance to Tokyo.
Graham Blanks, Nico Young, Woody Kincaid, and Grant Fisher the clear favorites but only three go to Worlds. someone might run the race of their life and STILL not make the team.
who have you got?
I love that everyone just downvoted the sh*t out of you
Except 27:00.00 or faster is the Standard, Unless He has a World Ranking (World Athletics) High enough. Or if he runs under 27:00 at the USATF Meet.
He would have to do that by himself as the 10000 at USATF have never been that fast, The 4 who have done it, do not need to and wont help others get it as that would mean more competion, Others in the race are like maybe I will be able to do it in the future, But I am not ready now, and others are like hey I made it to the Trials, very few can say that, The Trials are a big achievement in itself.
I hope everybody goes for it, but I really, really, really do not expect it.
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Graham Blanks, Nico Young, Woody Kincaid, and Grant Fisher the clear favorites but only three go to Worlds. someone might run the race of their life and STILL not make the team.
who have you got?
I love that everyone just downvoted the sh*t out of you
Also, what a weird title. EVERY event is a heartbreaker for those who don’t make top 3/qualify for Worlds. How’s it somehow limited to the men’s 10k?
If anything, the men’s 1500 or women’s 800 will be worse.
Except 27:00.00 or faster is the Standard, Unless He has a World Ranking (World Athletics) High enough. Or if he runs under 27:00 at the USATF Meet.
He would have to do that by himself as the 10000 at USATF have never been that fast, The 4 who have done it, do not need to and wont help others get it as that would mean more competion, Others in the race are like maybe I will be able to do it in the future, But I am not ready now, and others are like hey I made it to the Trials, very few can say that, The Trials are a big achievement in itself.
I hope everybody goes for it, but I really, really, really do not expect it.
It's not really necessary for him to run that fast since his TEN performance will help boost his ranking significantly if he also manages to top three at USAs. He earned 1246 points at the TEN, so he needs another performance score of 1236 or above to average out ahead of Jun Kasai who is at 1240.
In order to do that, he needs to run:
27:57.60 for 1st (1136pts result score + 100pts placing score)
27:44.70 for 2nd (1156pts result score + 80pts placing score)
27:38.29 for 3rd (1166pts result score + 70pts placing score)
He may not even need to run these times since we can expect Cheptegei, Samuel, Kwizera (allegiance transfer) and possibly a few others to drop and give more space for world rankings qualifiers.