USA Elite runners PLEASE go to 2010 Word X-Country Championships!

there is no tougher single race than world xc, particularly now that they abolished the short course race, and putting this in Poland gives Americans a better chance (running in similar conditions to the American spring: the ritz/teg performances at world jr xc were in europe as well, and the conditions were chilly and muddy).

douglas burke wrote:

world xc is the hardest distance race to win, harder than the olympics, world track championships, marathon majors etc.

That still is probably true simply due to the sheer # of top africans, but it used to be even more true than it is now. Now there is so much money to be won in the other races, and more fame, world x-c gets slightly diluted compared to some past years.

Bottom line: any race Bekele toes the line for is "the hardest distance race to win."

As much as I'm not a fan of AlSal, I'm really glad he and Ritz are on the same page about wanting to run World Cross. Theres no reason we can't send some studs out there and see what we can do. I'd say we've been sending our "C" teams in recent years. Now obviously we're realistically not going to get Ritz, Teg, Solinsk, Lagat, Rupp, Meb, Hall (etc.) to all run, but I think if we fielded an "A-" or "B+" team of guys who want to run for the satisfaction of it we could do pretty well.

Are we going to jump from getting 8th this year to 1st in '10? No way, no chance. But I DO think if we sent a team of say: Ritz, Rupp, Nelson, Bolota, Rohatinsky, Abdi (or a team of similar ability, you get what I mean) we would have a good shot at 3rd or 4th. We'd make a big statement in the process and it would set the groundwork for better things in the future.

Honestly, if RYAN VAIL (and no knock on him) was our #1 guy at World Cross this year and was in the top 35, think of what we could do by adding 3-4 "A-" or "B+" guys to Ritz!?!

CONSIDER THIS A CALL OUT. ALL WE NEED IS 3 OR 4 OF YOU GUYS TO STEP IT UP AND RACE THE BEST IN THE WORLD. WE DONT CARE WHATS ON YOUR SCHEDULE. THREE OR FOUR IS ALL WE ASK.

Bernard Lagat

Matt Tegenkamp

Chris Solinsky

Ryan Hall

Abdi Abdirahman

Meb Keflezighi

Galen Rupp

Jorge Torres

Brent Vaughn

Josh Rohatinsky

Anthony Famiglietti

Scott Bauhs

Jon Riley

James Carney

Bolota Asmerom

Sean Quigley

Adam Goucher

Ian Dobson

Bobby Curtis, Ryan Vail, Ed Torres, Max King, Ed Moran, and Brett Gotcher... THANK YOU FOR CARING ENOUGH ABOUT THE SPORT TO REPRESENT IN '09. PLEASE COME BACK IN 2010.

I mean HONESTLY, THIS YEAR WE LOST TO SPAIN. WHAT THE F*#k IS THAT?! UNACCEPTABLE.

Lets get it out in the open right now. We're not gonna send our absolute best team, but we need to do much better. Ladies, same thing goes for you (although you did much better than the men this year, 5th). At the same time, you shouldn't be losing to Spain and Portugal. We need to field much better teams on both sides. Elites, you dont have to peak for US/World Cross, but jeez, give it a go. FOR WHERE US DISTANCE RUNNING IS RIGHT NOW, THE ONLY COUNTRIES THAT SHOULD BE BEATING US ARE KENYA AND ETHIOPIA. Lets show the world what we're made of. Please.

Dreckers wrote:

You guys are all smoking Albertosol if you think a US A team can compete with Ethiopia, Kenya, Iritrea, Qatar, Uganda.

How many of the countries above were ahead of Ritz and Rupp at worlds this summer?? Rupp was running on burnout and Ritz was just getting into the swing of his season.

No reason to think that if both of them had truly peaked for that race their performances wouldn't have even been better. Now put Teg and Hall into that mix only Ethiopia and Kenya SHOULD beat us going in but that doesn't mean they will. Could we fall apart and get 4th or 5th, sure, should we, not likely. Could we be sniffing at silver? With Rupp and Ritz looking like they have been and Teg not wanting to be left out I think we'd be in the hunt. Hall is a big unknown though.

Some of you guys even in this information age still don't get the fact that though there is a truck load of depth for distance runners in Africa, we have our top guys now breaking into the ranks of their top guys. Rupp and Ritz not only could crack into the Kenyan and Ethiopian national cross teams, they could be one of the top scorers.

Kenya and Ethiopia no longer take all the top 10 and the cooler weather in Poland next year should have some effect on their performance.

USA runner who would have chance at top 10

Dathan Ritz

Galen Rupp

Bernard Lagat

USA runners who would have chance at top 20-25

German Fernandez

Lopez Lomong

Abdi Abdirahman

Meb Keflezighi

with a few other athletes who could step up and make the team ahead of the above named individuals:

2009 TEAM RESULTS for World X-Country Championships:

Official Team Results Senior Race - M 28 March 2009 - 16:30pos Country Bib Athlete Mark

1 Kenya 28

---------------

4 163 Leonard Patrick Komon 4

6 162 Mathew Kipkoech Kisorio 6

7 161 Mark Kosgey Kiptoo 7

11 166 Moses Cheruiyot Mosop 11

14 167 Mangata Kimai Ndiwa 14

25 159 Linus Kipwambok Chumba 25

2 Ethiopia 28

-----------------

1 88 Gebre-egziabher Gebremariam 1

5 87 Habtamu Fikadu 5

10 92 Hunegnaw Mesfin 10

12 91 Feyisa Lilesa 12

15 93 Dino Sefir 15

17 95 Tadese Tola 17

The Salazar/Schumacher combination could field a solid team on their own.

Ritz

Webb

Rupp

Teg

Solinsky

Nelson

Jager

Those guys are all great runners. I like this group for world xc

1. Dathan Ritzenhein

2. Galen Rupp

3. Adam Goucher

4. Bernard Lagat

5. Bob Kennedy

6. Ryan Hall

7. German Fernandez

Alternate (Chris Solinskey)

The reason I'd put Solinskey as an alternate is because he's inconsistent at times and will try to push the pace in races against guys that are better than him. He still has a long way to go. That's just my opinion though.

I just don't see Teg or Solinsky being all that great @ XC they are too big! and World Indoors is 2010 as well right around the same time I bet they do the 3k like they have in the past..

I agree, and I didn't even list Teg, because I feel that he really just wouldn't be a factor. Our team needs the perfect mix of young talent and seasoned veterns such as Kennedy, Goucher, and Lagat. I feel that those 3 guys can push the younger guys like Fernandez, Ritz, Rupp, Hall, and maybe Webb would be a decent recruit for the team. In a couple of years I could also see Nick Willis being a great distance runner. He did run a 4:00 in the 5th avenue mile, and he doesn't even train for anything over 800m.

I really have never liked Solinsky or Teg and I just don't see them really doing anything special. All the hard work in the world isn't going to make either of them 13:00 or better 5000m runners. They just don't have the talent and neither of them are fast enough milers.

*stipe wrote:

The Salazar/Schumacher combination could field a solid team on their own.

Ritz

Webb

Rupp

Teg

Solinsky

Nelson

Jager

That's what I think too... Team Oregon. But I'd throw Abdi and Meb into the mix, as they have a history of running well at world cross.

Come to think of it - AlSal can just pick up the phone and call Schumacher and we could have (at least) the following team:

Ritz

Rupp

Teg

Solinsky

Then somoene would have talk to Mahon and convince him and we can have:

Hall

If one can beat most of the Africans in World XC - then you are 100% legit.

2010 can be our year - we gotta do this right!

bryxcrunner wrote:

Our team needs the perfect mix of young talent and seasoned veterns such as Kennedy, Goucher, and Lagat. I feel that those 3 guys can push the younger guys like Fernandez, Ritz, Rupp, Hall, and maybe Webb would be a decent recruit for the team. In a couple of years I could also see Nick Willis being a great distance runner. He did run a 4:00 in the 5th avenue mile, and he doesn't even train for anything over 800m.

I really have never liked Solinsky or Teg and I just don't see them really doing anything special. All the hard work in the world isn't going to make either of them 13:00 or better 5000m runners. They just don't have the talent and neither of them are fast enough milers.

is this for a real? kennedy is retired, nick willis is from New Zealand and won bronze at Beijing in the 1500, and Teg ran 12:58. if you're joking then 2/10

I made a mistake. I meant Nick Symmonds, not Nick Willis. I don't know why I said Nick Willis. Yet did run 12:58 and I just feel that was a one time thing kind of like a fluke. He could never run even 13:00 again if he wanted to. He like Solinsky is not consistent. Neither of those guys concentrate enough on speed to be consistent top competitors. Kennedy could come back if he wanted to and still has what it takes. By next year Kennedy could be at 13:00 or better again if he trained. Nick Symmonds is very promising as well as Webb. I still remember when the 800m use to be a distance runner event but now has been taken over by guys who are more or less sprinters. The mile and 1500m is becomning like that also now. When you see guys like Beckele who holds the world record at 5000m with I think 12:36 he can probably run the 100m in about a 10.7 or better. Guys like Solinsky and Teg cannot run that fast because they just arnt gifted like that and it doesn't matter how hard they train they just won't be able to beat the Africans like Beckele who can sit behind them until the later stages of the race and just sprint by them with ease. You have to keep in mind that the African runners also have great aerobic endurance so with that and their natural sprint speed they just can't be beat. We need guys like Webb, Symmonds, Lagat, Maybe Ritz and Rupp have the potential to be 3:51 or better milers.

if you're trying to be funny, you're not, but if you're being serious, that's hilarious.

Dude will you please stop very little you said makes any sense. Teg and Chris S. are world class runners and both are very talented and only a few men have ever outsprinted Kenenisa BEKELE (not Beckele). His world record is 12:37.35 not 12:36. Bob Kennedy is retired and couldn't come back and compete with those guys in such a short time. Nick Symmond could possible run a great 1500m if he trained for it but 12km x-country wouldn't be world class especially by March 2010.

Join the thread in celebrating and hoping those pre-mentioned guys decide to run World X-Championships and give US its best chance at silver and with some luck maybe Gold.

I am being serious and Solinsky and Teg are both great distance runners. However, they are just not talented enough to win against international competition that good. If they could run 50.00 or better in the 400m in the future then they have a shot, but until then they have to settle for second, third, or whatever else at best. First is out of the question.

Out of nearly a 100 x-country races Kenenisa Bekele has lost just ONE in which he dnf due to Tedese and Kenya's humidity and heat. So everyone would be racing for 2nd if a healthy Kenenisa Bekele tow the starting line in X-Country.

COME USA Elites MEN and WOMEN this is the year to do it, run U.S X-Country Trials and send US BEST runners to 2010 World X-Country CHAMPIONSHIPS.

USA runners who would have chance at top 20-25

German Fernandez

Lopez Lomong

Abdi Abdirahman

Meb Keflezighi[quote/]

I was leaving all the 1500 guys out of the equation, but Lopez and German would be awesome additions as well (not that I'm saying German is a 1500 guy, but he's young and focused on the 1500 a little more than the 5k his freshman year). Lopez 3rd at NCAA's in his final season. Theres some untapped potential in XC there. German of course was 11th at Junior XC, we'd love to see what he can do against the big dogs in the senior race.

Hell, even Webb is more than welcome to give it a shot! If my memory serves me right, he was pretty studly in XC many moons ago...

Bernard Lagat, Dathan Ritz, Galen Rupp etc don't have a shot at top 25, please they could go top 10! What about the women have we forgotten about the talented top women we have in the US to field a team.