Millrose was exciting this year. Tactical races are exciting. Time trials are boring. The obsession with times is cracked.
I think that’s part of what makes cross country so beloved by distance fans. It often has the best of both worlds — no pacing lights and time doesn’t matter, yet people often go quite hard.
Which aspects of "tactical" races are more exciting than time trial style races?
In both cases you know exactly how the races are played out: people hang onto their dear lives in one and "jog until the last lap then sprint" in the other.
In both cases the winners are hard to predict. The time trial races are probably more unpredictable... How many times you correctly predict the winners in the global championships in the last few years?
Time trial races are closer to the original goal of the sports of finding human limits.
BTW making a race into time trial is a tactic, and one only the strong minds dare to try.
Missing those guys but having the reigning World 5000m champ and Olympic 1500m champ, two other 1500m World champs, a 12:48 guy, and plenty more. Appreciate that there had never been an indoor field before of such quality in the distances.
I doubt Hocker will ever hold a world record unless he happen to be in a race lead by someone else going for it.
How is it a criticism to say it's unlikely that someone will solo a world record? That's not like, a common achievement. Last person to do it was Rudisha, and before that El Guerrouj. Jakob has never done it.
Which aspects of "tactical" races are more exciting than time trial style races?
In both cases you know exactly how the races are played out: people hang onto their dear lives in one and "jog until the last lap then sprint" in the other.
In both cases the winners are hard to predict. The time trial races are probably more unpredictable... How many times you correctly predict the winners in the global championships in the last few years?
Time trial races are closer to the original goal of the sports of finding human limits.
The only goal in sports is the competition, and to win it.
I doubt Hocker will ever hold a world record unless he happen to be in a race lead by someone else going for it.
How is it a criticism to say it's unlikely that someone will solo a world record? That's not like, a common achievement. Last person to do it was Rudisha, and before that El Guerrouj. Jakob has never done it.
So the only runners that counted were Jim Ryun, Ron Clarke and Henry Rono?
I doubt Hocker will ever hold a world record unless he happen to be in a race lead by someone else going for it.
How is it a criticism to say it's unlikely that someone will solo a world record? That's not like, a common achievement. Last person to do it was Rudisha, and before that El Guerrouj. Jakob has never done it.
I think when someone is saying that in comparison to Jakob, it means committing to running fast behind the pacemaker at WR pace and then continuing after the pacer drops out. Not the Rudisha type situation.
Which aspects of "tactical" races are more exciting than time trial style races?
In both cases you know exactly how the races are played out: people hang onto their dear lives in one and "jog until the last lap then sprint" in the other.
In both cases the winners are hard to predict. The time trial races are probably more unpredictable... How many times you correctly predict the winners in the global championships in the last few years?
Time trial races are closer to the original goal of the sports of finding human limits.
BTW making a race into time trial is a tactic, and one only the strong minds dare to try.
Correct. Had Fisher been in the race, it would’ve been much different. Likely a faster finishing time since that’s the way he knows he can use that tactic to beat guys with faster 1500/mile PR’s.
I like watching people running to their eyeballs. I like watching guys in full gallop. Watching them jog for 6 laps just doesn’t feel satisfying. In fact, it bothers me.
I doubt Hocker will ever hold a world record unless he happen to be in a race lead by someone else going for it.
How is it a criticism to say it's unlikely that someone will solo a world record? That's not like, a common achievement. Last person to do it was Rudisha, and before that El Guerrouj. Jakob has never done it.
How is it a criticism to say it's unlikely that someone will solo a world record? That's not like, a common achievement. Last person to do it was Rudisha, and before that El Guerrouj. Jakob has never done it.
I think when someone is saying that in comparison to Jakob, it means committing to running fast behind the pacemaker at WR pace and then continuing after the pacer drops out. Not the Rudisha type situation.
That's exactly what I meant, having the courage the go as fast as you can, not being afraid of running too fast and burning out. It's about a mindset of taking a risk to try breaking human limits even tough you know there's a risk you could lose because of that. And just to reiterate, I'm not saying that this is something that should happen in every race, some races have to be tactical like championships. But if you want to be considered one of the greatest of all time you must have the guts to test your limits and break records sometimes.
I found him annoying... probably because I am old and didn't get him. But now that he's gone, I miss him. His personality and passion steal the show every time.
Which aspects of "tactical" races are more exciting than time trial style races?
In both cases you know exactly how the races are played out: people hang onto their dear lives in one and "jog until the last lap then sprint" in the other.
In both cases the winners are hard to predict. The time trial races are probably more unpredictable... How many times you correctly predict the winners in the global championships in the last few years?
Time trial races are closer to the original goal of the sports of finding human limits.
BTW making a race into time trial is a tactic, and one only the strong minds dare to try.
Almost everything you wrote is wrong.
Tactical races are not merely "jog until the last lap then sprint." Did Graham Blanks look like he was jogging when he took the lead at 2300 metres on Sunday?
The original goal of athletics was racing to win. They didn't have stopwatches in ancient Greece! For the first thirteen Olympics, the stadion footrace was the only event contested, and victory in that sprint was so valued that the next Olympiad was named after the winner, e.g. "the third year of the eighteenth Olympiad when Ladas of Argos won the stadion."
The only runners who make a race into a time trial are the ones who lack a fast kick. It's their only hope of accomplishing the primary objective of racing: to win.