Athletes you would like to see run a different distance

usain bolt in the 400

i would have liked to have seen gail devers-roberts do a heptathlon in her prime, sprints and hurdles as good as anyone, ran a 2:05 half mile in college and 2:11 half mile in 9th grade. excellent long and triple jumper at UCLA, she is short, but if you see her jumps she does before she sprints or hurdles you can tell she could do well, which leaves the throws, she is small, but looks unusually powerful/muscular for a woman, so she probably would have done well.

Alan Webb making the 3k/5k his primary events (like Lagat or Bob Kennedy)

Tegenkamp in the 10k

+

One they SHOULD put on:

Wariner vs Rudisha in a 600.

I would like to see any LR poster run an ultra. They'd stop teasing ultra runners, for sure.

I'd like to see an ultra participant (I WON'T call the runners) run a 400 or mile in a track meet. They could then stop calling themselves runners.

Ultra runner is an oxymoron.

lets see it wrote:

Teg - 10k

Matthew Tegenkamp? In a 10,000 meter race? Are you out of your mother-trucking mind?

I think it would be great to see ultra runners run short races, too. The difference between the two types of racers, of course, is that ultra runners, as a whole, don't rag on people who do short races (i.e. marathons on down). But, as we all know, many short-distance racers bash ultra runners. I'm not sure why this is...it's just the way of the world.

wheating vs. webb in a decathlon

haha jk but seriously them racing an indoor mile or 3k at the dempsey would be cool

Landon Donovan in the 800m.

rwqedfads wrote:

I think it would be great to see ultra runners run short races, too. The difference between the two types of racers, of course, is that ultra runners, as a whole, don't rag on people who do short races (i.e. marathons on down). But, as we all know, many short-distance racers bash ultra runners. I'm not sure why this is...it's just the way of the world.

I don't know if they necessarily put down runners that run shorter races, but at least from most of the ultra marathoners I have met, they are overly proud of themselves. They absolutely think they are superior to all other runners and that running a 100 mile race in however many hours, is much better than running a 3:43 mile. Dean Karnazes is pretty typical of what most ultra runners are like; he is just better at making it known what he thinks of himself and his sport to a wider range of people.

Honestly I don't care that someone did a 43 mile training run the other day, but of course they need to let everyone know what they did and the people in the office are amazed. I may have ran 16 x 400 in low 60's with a 200 jog on the same day as your long training run, but I wouldn't let everyone knew about it, I would just be trying to get better at my running. Nobody in the office would be able to do either workout, but people can think in terms of mileage more than speed and of course, you know they are going to be impressed with that all day training run.

shoe guy wrote: Alan Webb making the 3k/5k his primary events (like Lagat or Bob Kennedy)

This is it for me too. I'd love to see what he could do if he devoted the next 2 years to running 90 to 110 mpw with 3k/5k style workouts.

I can see how that would be frustrating. But I don't think most ultra runners are as you describe. They're proud of the strength and endurance they have, for sure. But they don't brag very much. The big difference, IMHO, is that they don't put down short-distance racers. That's a huge distinction, IMO. They're simply not aholes like most LR posters.

rwqedfads wrote:

I can see how that would be frustrating. But I don't think most ultra runners are as you describe. They're proud of the strength and endurance they have, for sure. But they don't brag very much. The big difference, IMHO, is that they don't put down short-distance racers. That's a huge distinction, IMO. They're simply not aholes like most LR posters.

That is definitely not my experience with ultra runners. They are overly proud, like Dean Karnazes. I haven't met him personally, but from his interviews he is exactly like this and that is my experience with about 90% of ultra runners. They really, really, think that it is much more special to run a 100 mile race than to race a fast shorter distance. And yes, they do put down people doing shorter races, to their face in their condescending tone. Maybe I have just met the wrong ultra runners, but my experience has been way too proud of very mediocre results.

most of mine have already be said...i'll throw in jenny B in the 10k

my #1 would have to be hall in literally ANYTHING on the track...its been so long

Shalane Flanagan in the 100, just because it would be funny to watch.

had no idea Gail Devers was such a fast 800 runner in HS. would have been interesting with her speed to see how fast she would have ended up if she had focused on that event.

I personally have known some (far less-talented) 100/200/400M runners who have turned out some awesome 800s off of their 100/200/400 speed.

Alan Webb in a hot-dog eating contest.

yeah I know he's not real but I would of liked to know what Quentin Cassidy would of done in a 5k,10k, and 1/2mary.

A. Webb 3-5K

D. Ritz 10K (primary)

R. Hall 10K (primary)

D. Rudisha 1500

J. Wariner 800

Katie Erdman (Waits) 1500

K. Bekele half and full marathon

Bolt 400

Rhines 10000 (primary)

Pat Porter (in his prime) marathon

etc.