CALLING ALL STEEPLERS!!!

POTD

Yummy wrote:

When spiked, his will-power seals the wound.

If asked to steeple, he responds: “Not yet, but in time.”

His high-socks make the Africans quiver.

He does not hug the rail, the rail hugs him.

He is: “The World Most Interesting Runner”

Chris Solinsky: “While I don’t take walking breaks, I prefer being a badass… Keep running my friends.”

Steeple is HARD! Most talented runners stay away for this reason. Why try to run 8:15 when you can run 3:40? the 1500 and 5k is the path of lease resistance.

Yummy wrote:

When spiked, his will-power seals the wound.

If asked to steeple, he responds: “Not yet, but in time.”

His high-socks make the Africans quiver.

He does not hug the rail, the rail hugs him.

He is: “The World Most Interesting Runner”

Chris Solinsky: “While I don’t take walking breaks, I prefer being a badass… Keep running my friends.”

Surely, yummy, you were at gmrc week 3

Billy nelson will be back next year with a fury.

2010 US steeple championship results-

1-Billy Nelson

2- josh Mcadams

3- Dan Huling

4- Brian Olinger

5- Jake Morse

6- BenBruce

7- Kyle Perry

8 Aaron Aguayo

9- kyle Alcorn

unless of course fam comes back or lincoln. in which case they both will be top 3. but i dont see it happening

Bruce beat just as many Kenyans as McAdams did at Huesden. Like someone else said the talent is there, now they just need to start pushing each other to the 8:teens range.

Steelers?

I love the Steelers!!

by the max... i think an 802 3k would put you more in the 8:27-8:50 range.

at my school we have always said the steeple will be 25-45 seconds slower than an open 3k. the good steeplers will reduce the difference. so sub 8:20 guys need to run in the 7:50-55 range.

for me personally i still have a 38 second difference from my 3k to my steeple... dreaming of that 25 second difference.

also, josh mcadams has run 821 steeple and 754(or so) 3k. so thats a 27 second difference and he is close to the best they come over the barriers.

anyone have any other examples of the time difference?

Olinger/Huling VS. Nelson/Bruce, who ya got for 2010?

sorry, i meant to say by the WAY max, not by the max.

Impressive list of names though

Supposedly Olinger has been having a troubling hamstring problem for sometime. Heard from one of OSU guys that he went to a biomechanical lab in Virginia to get things figured out. He definitely has tools to be an 8:15 guy imo.

If Olinger gets this injury figured out, him and Huling will tear it up in steeple next year. Olinger especially went from 8:51 to 8:19 in on eyear in college 4 years ago. Has been under 8:20 once 2 summers ago, but stalled other than that since.

someone asked about the Olinger/Huling vs Nelson/Bruce battle

Lets break it down.

Pr's

Olinger 8:19, Huling 8:20

Nelson 8:20, Bruce 8:26

USA Finishes by year DNQ = ran in meet but did not qualify to final, DNC = did not compete

Olinger 09-12th, 08-7th, 07-DNQ, 06-9th, 05-4th, 04-DNC

Huling 09-2nd, 08-5th, 07-DNC, 06-3rd, 05-DNC, 04-DNC

Nelson 09-13th, 08-2nd, 07-DNQ, 06-DNC 05-DNC, 04-DNC

Bruce 09-5th, 08-12th, 07-7th, 06-12th, 05-DNQ, 04-DNQ, 03-DNQ

USA's best finish

Olinger - 4th 2005

Huling - 2nd 2009

Nelson - 2nd 2008

Bruce - 5th 2009

Year by year seasons best from IAAF

Olinger 09-8:34.85, 08-8:32.65, 07-8:19.29, 06-8:35.56, 05-8:19.56

Huling 09-8:21.65, 08-8:20.84, 07-DNC 06-8:27.41

Nelson 09-8:35.90, 08-8:21.47, 07-8:33.33

Bruce 09-8:26.08, 08-8:32.57, 07-8:32.74, 06-8:32.68, 05-8:33.70, 04-8:40.44, 03-8:39.10

Enough facts, may opinion and ranking for 2010 (all of these guys show the potential to run 8:15 or better by career end)

1. Huling- Good race experience in Europe the last two years. Has alright closing speed, made world team. Has run low 8:20s a couple times and two years in a row.

2. Bruce- Very consistant year to year. Showing a nice progression on times with a big jump this year. Only American to beat McAdams this year and did it by kicking away from McAdams at Cardinal. The tools are there

3. Nelson- Showed he can close well last year at the trials. We will find out if this year was a transition year for him or if 2008 was just a one hit wonder

4. Olinger- Has shown he can run fast in a really fast race. Lacks a kick and can be very inconsistent. He has no fear about going out hard but pays the price a lot.

By those scores it is a tie 5 to 5

All of them are still young with Bruce the oldest at 26.

It would certainly be great to see somebody like Solinsky try steeple in a non-championship year (like 2010). Not as much risk of not making a WC/OLY team, and with meets like Pre and NY on Diamond League Schedule could run some elite races close to home.

Barringer and Willard (and women's steeplers in general) are all well ranking in other events (800m/1500m/steeple) and while the w's steeple may take a little less technical skill, having "flat" speed certainly is huge advantage.

It would make sense that it may be a worthy risk for somebody like Solinsky trying steeple in hope of a better shot at the podium, I am suprised more 3:36-3:40 guys and 13:15-30 guys don't try steeple in order to make the jump to the elite level.

If we are going to talk about huling/olinger vs bruce/nelson... ( i am assuming we do this since they are training partners... otc, vs reebok ohio) i think we should add Mcadams/Perry into the discussion. since they are the top pair from USA's. I think Mcadams has won 2 and 3rd once in the last 3 years, and Perry, in his first us championship was 4th, straight out of the college grind. I think they are at least in the same breath as the other 2 pairs

except for the fact that they do not train together. McAdams is in Memphis going to school.

Dan Huling 8:14.69 in Brussels. that puts him 6th on the all time US performers list. Nice work!