Thats not the point. The point is that they ran this race because they thought they could get the A or B standard or were just looking for a good time. And i am sorry to tell you this but 28:47 got you into nationals last year with a field size of 25. It took me all of 60 seconds to look that up.
Last year was NOT an Olympic year. Just wait and see. I won't need to say I told you so.
"post-collegians?"
the reality is that the Stanford meet is more pretigious than the usatf champs...that IS the sorry state of reality that is the usatf.
Here is the top 21 before this season
27:31.46 Abdihakim Abdirahman
27:33.48 ( 1) Galen Rupp (OR)
27:41.26 (10) Mebrahtom Keflezighi (CA)
27:42.91 ( 5) Jorge Torres (CO)
27:43.13 ( 6) Edward Moran (VA)
27:43.64 ( 7) James Carney (CA)
27:50.05 (12) Alan Culpepper
27:55.86 (14) Joshua Rohatinsky (UT)
28:02.51 (16) Seth Summerside
28:04.46 (19) Tim Nelson (WI)
28:07.93 ( 3) Ryan Hall (CA)
28:10.73 (22) Dan Browne (OR)
28:15.22 ( 4) Jason Hartman (OR)
28:25.69 ( 4) Fasil Bizuneh (AZ)
28:27.65 (25) Joshua McDougal (NY)
28:28.01 ( 5) Steve Sundell
28:28.10 (26) Edwardo Torres
28:28.59 ( 9) Dathan Ritzenhein (OR)
28:29.16 (10) Sean Quigley (NY
28:30.03 (27) Rod Koborsi
28:30.53 (11) Matthew Downin (WI)
Obviously there will be some major changes as the season progresses.
27:31.46 Abdihakim Abdirahman
27:33.48 ( 1) Galen Rupp (OR)
27:41.26 (10) Mebrahtom Keflezighi (CA)
27:42.91 ( 5) Jorge Torres (CO)
27:43.13 ( 6) Edward Moran (VA)
27:43.64 ( 7) James Carney (CA)
27:50.05 (12) Alan Culpepper
27:55.86 (14) Joshua Rohatinsky (UT)
28:02.51 (16) Seth Summerside
Quigley, Sean SR La Salle 28:03.72
28:04.46 (19) Tim Nelson (WI)
28:07.93 ( 3) Ryan Hall (CA)
28:10.73 (22) Dan Browne (OR)
28:15.22 ( 4) Jason Hartman (OR)
Dobson, Ian adidas 28:16.47
Kilburg, Michael SR Portland 28:20.57
Haas, Stephen NA New Balance 28:21.42
Simpson, Josh NA NYAC 28:22.25
Keating, Westly NA Unattached 28:23.09
28:25.69 ( 4) Fasil Bizuneh (AZ)
Withrow, Matt JR Wisconsin 28:26.75
28:27.65 (25) Joshua McDougal (NY)
28:28.01 ( 5) Steve Sundell
28:28.10 (26) Edwardo Torres
-----------------------------------------------------------If the trials were held today the following runner would not make the cut.
28:28.59 ( 9) Dathan Ritzenhein (OR)
I'm almost positive that Dobson is focusing on the 5k this year considering that he ran 13:18 this summer.
Many guys enter both and declare in both and then only run 1. It takes up positions and there is no way that meet management will no that. Take a look at past years and you will see what I am talking about. Abdi, Meb and Culpepper have always done this.
I personally would take a 28:50 (on any track) that cost me airfare, room and meals for 2-3 days or whatever over a 29:00 or 29:15 or 29:30 at a road race winning $3000 and paying all my expenses.
I would make that choice 10 times out of 10.
The only time I would opt for door number 2 is if I was broke, or needed money for a new car or needed the money in any bad way.
Generally you can count on a pack to run with at Stanford, whether you are a 28:10 guy or a 29:00 guy, and this will drag you to a PR. At least this is what they are hoping.
You can't always count on a pack in a road race and if it is there and it pulls you to a 28:40 ... who cares? It is still a road race.
Jon Sinclair, and Herb Lindsay and Mark Curp ran more 29:00 10k's than almost everyone else combined. And despite two of them running 28:05 on the track, they never were able to reach 27:40 or 27:50 .... that would have been MUCH more satisfying to me than having all my expenses comped and bagging another 28:50 road 10k and $3000 in an envelope at the end.
But if I have to explain that to you, you are never going to get it.
Even if it does take 28:20 to get to Trials, that doesn't mean that guys who ran slower than that at Stanford wasted their time. For one thing, they didn't have the benefit of your 20-20 hindsight. For another, if they do want to run 28:15 at the next Stanford, it was better prepartion to run 28:40 on the track this weekend than 29:00 on the roads.
Of course, as a previous poster said, it's not about money. Any time you start doing a cost-benefit analysis, you realize you'd be better off delivering pizza than running, if it's just cash you care about. To paraphrase someone else, if you gotta ask why people are trying to run fast on the track in an Olympic year, you'll never know.
So because it is an olympic year everyone is going to run faster now? NO! The USA is deeper now then it was in 2004 aka an olympic year. We were having trouble getting people to run under 13:20 in 04.
I made the wrong choice. I spent about a hundred bucks for meals and $225 for lodging. $336 for airfare and $20 entry fee. Roughly $700. It was more than worth the experience. I had a great time at the meet and ran a PR. However, I made the wrong decision. My 10k time will not get me in the trials and I can't afford to return for the next meet at Stanford. I would have been way smarter to head to Richmond and make a $1000 rather than lose $700. I would have been able to make 2 trips out west if I would have gone to Richmond.
Marty Liquori said something like, "The roads are rock and roll, track is Carnegie Hall".
Why do so many marathoners want to qualify for the Olympic trials? Most of those people would be "better off" running some regional marathon and winning a couple hundred bucks.
I'm glad that many/most runners look at their running in regards to maximizing their potential and achieving something they will be proud of. Not everything can be reduced to dollars and cents.
For some people, running the road 10k is the right thing to do. But I'm sure that Lisa Koll is glad she ran her big PR on the track.
Lisa Koll is a college athlete. Totally not pertinent to this discussion. Also the Olympic Trials are not the B heat at Stanford so that comparison sucks.
Example: Without looking who won the Olympic Trials in the marathon in New York? I would say nearly everyone on this board would come up with the right answer.
Who won the B heat of the womens steeple? Outside of her immediate family, I would guess that no one knows without looking.
That is the difference.
Wrong choice wrote:
Lisa Koll is a college athlete. Totally not pertinent to this discussion. Also the Olympic Trials are not the B heat at Stanford so that comparison sucks.
Example: Without looking who won the Olympic Trials in the marathon in New York? I would say nearly everyone on this board would come up with the right answer.
Who won the B heat of the womens steeple? Outside of her immediate family, I would guess that no one knows without looking.
That is the difference.
Man your pretty thick aren't you? Obviously the point of running in the B heat at Stanford is to qualify for the Olympic Trials. If you a 28:30 guy, you just might run 28:15 at Stanford on the right night. Its not going to happen on the road.
Gainfully Employed wrote:
Obviously the point of running in the B heat at Stanford is to qualify for the Olympic Trials. If you a 28:30 guy, you just might run 28:15 at Stanford on the right night.
NO ONE HAS EVER RUN SUB 28:15 FROM THE B HEAT AT STANFORD. So if you were the one to pull of this feat you would be the first.
Where has Seth Summerside been this year? He was on fire last year...is he taking off for med school?
Anyone know if he will be racing this summer?
to me this shows promise.. runners more interested in running fast than in making money for themselves...
"post-collegians"