It was a very impressive run. He took the lead from the gun, went through the first mile in ~5:10 and broke the entire field early. Didn't look particularly taxed after the race either. I have no doubt he could have gone significantly faster with decent conditions and some competition.
hs distance fan wrote:
I'd say his accomplishment deserves a lot more discussion, praise and attention than the other high school xc thread currently making the rounds on letsrun about the "star" runner accused of armed robbery. Eddie sounds like a great kid to me - athletic, smart, motivated. What's not to like and praise?
I'm on the fence on this one.
AR 17yo Thom Hunt, 1:08:07 San Diego Ca. Coronado 07/04/75
WR 17yo Faustin Baha(Tan), 1:00:38 Lille, France 09/04/99
1:10:25 is a solid run, but mostly because american h.s. kids don't train for it or race it. The debate on the age of african runners is another topic, but you get my point. There is much room for improvement.
http://www.arrs.net/SA_HMar.htmhttp://www.runningusa.org/statistics/recordsI use to run the Caesar Rodney half in Delaware about 2 minutes slower than the Philly Distance run (PRR). One course is hilly and the other course is relatively flat; the course can make a big difference. I've run several halfs and I'm familiar with the Manhattan course and this kid could probably have run at least a minute faster on a different course. Once the temp gets below the mid-20s, if you are too bundled up, your movement is restricted and/or you overheat and if you don't wear enough clothing, you lose too much heat. Basically 18 degrees is not optimal for fast times in a half marathon.
Btw, a 1:10 half for a 17 year old, who probably only runs about 60mpw will not compute correctly with the calculators. Under the circumstances a 1:10 half is not off the charts, but it is very-very good; most of your Footlocker finalist could not have done this. This kid is probably going to be a very good NCAA XC and 10K runner.
also 14 degrees probably means pants and a jacket. shit slows you down
It was REALLY cold in Manhattan this morning.
It was REALLY cold in Manhattan this morning.
So why in the hell would anybody with half a brain want to go out side and run a half marathon? Serious question
The kid is gonna be burned out before he ever gets to college.
Well, it's part of a five-borough half marathon Grand Prix...
Really? Because I'm pretty sure that was probably just his long run for the week, albeit probably significantly faster than his usual pace.
Abortions For Everyone! wrote:
The kid is gonna be burned out before he ever gets to college.
Yeah totally
Owens' HS is in Brooklyn Heights. No campus, no track. That neighborhood is not conducive for distance running. So this race is a nice workout for him in central park.
Owens will be a monster in college, particularly 10K on the track. He runs every race at one pace, he wears people down - but his top end speed is better than most people give him credit for. He won't burn out because he's only been running for about 2 years. It's hard to imagine a worse training location than downtown Brooklyn. The options are to run 3 miles of skinny, broken sidewalk to a park or to cross the Brooklyn Bridge fighting tourists the whole way. When he gets to Princeton and can log quality miles every day he will be hard to deal with.
This gives Princeton another really tough runner for XC. With Leung, Cabral, and this kid they will be tough to beat at the Heps.
armchair quarterback wrote:
Armchair quarterback here. This is definitely a solid run but...the McMillan calculator lists this as being equivalent to 15:14 for 5k, 4:23.8 for the mile.
So why are we celebrating this caliber performance with a letsrun.com thread? Surely there are hundreds of low-15's and low-4:20's high school runners in the country. The guys who get threads made about them are usually low-14's and sub-4:10.
8/10
Disguised as a legitimate post that has generated a few responses
I remember seeing something where he does intervals in like a tiny little park downtown.
Armchair quarterback here. This is definitely a solid run but...the McMillan calculator lists this as being equivalent to 15:14 for 5k, 4:23.8 for the mile.
So why are we celebrating this caliber performance with a letsrun.com thread? Surely there are hundreds of low-15's and low-4:20's high school runners in the country. The guys who get threads made about them are usually low-14's and sub-4:10.
Why even involve the McMillan calculator? His race is what it is - a half-marathon in an impressive time. It's worth mention because not too many high school kids have done it.
Great job, Eddy!
I mean "Eddie." Oops.
Ran the race Saturday AM and can confirm that yes, it was pretty darn cold + somewhat icy in the northern part of Central Park, which made it tough to take full advantage of the downhills.
As to what Young Master Eddie was wearing, you can see for yourselves if you check out the NYRR video at
http://www.nyrr.org/resources/video/local/2011/manhattan_half.asp
.
Also, seems Eddie has been running NYRR races for the past couple of years and in fact turned in a 1:11:47 at this race last year.
If it's below 30, I will be staying in my warm bed on race day.
I'm on the fence on this one.
AR 17yo Thom Hunt, 1:08:07 San Diego Ca. Coronado 07/04/75
WR 17yo Faustin Baha(Tan), 1:00:38 Lille, France 09/04/99
[/quote]
First of all, do you think a Tanzanian "17" year old has, in reality, only spent 17 years on this planet? If so, I have some land to sell you.
Second, as has been mentioned, it was bitterly cold that morning in central park with a windchill under 0, and it is a hilly course. And Brooklyn is a terrible place to train unless you're on the shore or near prospect park. He is obviously tremendously talented.