Alan Webb 800m Fall Video, Results and Splits

Running mediocre 800ms requires neither top endurance nor top speed. I say this from experience having been a mediocre 800m runner myself.

Maybe he's racing as a workout maybe not. When he runs a mile, we'll know a lot more. Much harder to fake it at twice the distance.

Anyone else notice he was wearing Matumbos? And props to him for getting up and finishing the race.

I doubt El G would have fell against college runners that his PR is 10 or more seconds faster than...We're talking about an Olympic championship with much more pressure and everything, versus a little college race.

Just sayin dude wrote:

bguyj200012 wrote:

The biggest issue here is that Webb, despite having been a runner for 15 years...still hasn't learned how to race properly.

I don't get it. He's more of a timetrialer than an actual racer. He's been around long enough that he should know how to race, and tripping (if it was unintentional) up like that in a closing stretch against middle-of-the-pack college runners shows that he hasn't mastered basic racing fundamentals.

Its why, despite having a faster PR than centrowitz, centrowitz is the one with a medal and Webb isn't. Face it, he can't race.

Hey even El G missed two Olympic Medals because of racing mistakes. These people arent as "perfect" as you are assuming.

I'm not buying that he clipped the GMU guy's heel, the vid is about as clear as you can get, GMU guy had what looked like about a full stride on him, just as the track straightens it looks like Webb just stumbled on his own, no way did he clip GMU's heels. It also looks like he was on the outside of lane 1 so he couldn't have caught the rail.

yeah some "middle-of -the-pack college runner"...oh wait too bad the guy who won is an all-american. The 800 is not even his race. And it is not easy being a guy like webb at a race like this because everyone was cheering for him to lose. Everyone wanted an underdog to win and Webb had little support. That has got to be tough when everyone expects so much from you, but most of you on here will never know how that truly feels, and nor will I.

are u mrs webb?

bguyj200012 wrote:

I doubt El G would have fell against college runners that his PR is 10 or more seconds faster than...We're talking about an Olympic championship with much more pressure and everything, versus a little college race.

What do PRs have to do with falling? Please explain that one to me

Nothing, but they should suggest a level of speed and running maturity that you shouldn't be in a position to fall over someone that much slower than you.

All of the people that El G fell against were top notch 1500 runners also, not scrubs. Webb's 800 speed is 1:43. that has to mean something when racing people a lot slower.

I don;t expect a 15 minute 5k runner (usually the sole one) to trip at a Turkey Trot against 19 minute runners unless its in the opening 200 meters before he has a chance to make a race for himself...

203 wrote:

I'm not buying that he clipped the GMU guy's heel, the vid is about as clear as you can get, GMU guy had what looked like about a full stride on him, just as the track straightens it looks like Webb just stumbled on his own, no way did he clip GMU's heels. It also looks like he was on the outside of lane 1 so he couldn't have caught the rail.

He clipped the side of his foot and the other guys heel. Its pretty clear.

You just don't fall like that and usually its the guy in front who takes the hardest fall.

203 wrote:

I'm not buying that he clipped the GMU guy's heel, the vid is about as clear as you can get, GMU guy had what looked like about a full stride on him, just as the track straightens it looks like Webb just stumbled on his own, no way did he clip GMU's heels. It also looks like he was on the outside of lane 1 so he couldn't have caught the rail.

You must not have seen the video from the homestretch because you're wrong. The backstretch video it did kind of look like that.

ok, given that, it still shows a lack of focus and i stand by my contention that he has shown very little race maturity in the 15 years he's been racing.

Even in footlocker where he was heavily favored to be in the top group as a junior, he got burnt. That was FL XC 99.

In Footlocker XC 2000, he again didn't live up to the hype when put against people of similar ability levels. When will Webb actually WIN against other people of similar ability?

He's either being pulled to a fast PR time trial, or he's dusting up some scrubs when he does win.

Webb is still my hero!!

Its not clear at all. Its not impossible but The guy in front never alters his stride. I have never seen someone get their heel clipped and not have to adjust to some degree.

its really irrelevant. Point is Webb is done. Zero Zero Zero chance he makes the olympics.

bguyj200012 wrote:

Nothing, but they should suggest a level of speed and running maturity that you shouldn't be in a position to fall over someone that much slower than you.

All of the people that El G fell against were top notch 1500 runners also, not scrubs. Webb's 800 speed is 1:43. that has to mean something when racing people a lot slower.

I don;t expect a 15 minute 5k runner (usually the sole one) to trip at a Turkey Trot against 19 minute runners unless its in the opening 200 meters before he has a chance to make a race for himself...

Hmm are you trolling?

What do the credentials of the other runners have to do with falling over them??? Their feet are either present or they are not. Furthermore, I'm sure there were people much slower than El G in his races. His pr is 3:26. His pr during 1996 was 3:28 or 3:29.

And Webb's competitor in this race wasn't that much slower than him. Do you think Webb could have run a 1:43 yesterday? No, Webb is likely somewhere between 1:48-1:53 shape.

How about his yell after finishing? The man seemed pretty mad. I really like the show of emotion, it shows he still has the fire.

I've seen a lot of races, and after watching this, I hate to say it, but I think Alan Webb just pulled a "SUZY".

He got psyched out. I mean, he psyched himself out.

just my .02

no. I'm not trolling. And just because someone posts something that sharply contrasts with what you believe doesn't mean their trolling.

This is somewhat interesting. Jim Ryun, the other great high school mile star, had similar struggles with training and racing at times and was heavily criticized when he ran poorly as well. Between 1968 and his 1968 silver in the 1,500 and his qualifying for the Olympics in 1972 (where he tripped and fell in a qualifying heat) there were times when Ryun had grave difficulty training and raced very inconsistently. People gave him no chance to make the Olympic team in 1972 in 1971. Some of his challenges were financial in the age of amateurism. But he also had trouble figuring out where and how to train. ( I would suggest that his high school coach Bob Timmons absolutely abused and overtrained him and that was part of the reason for some of his difficultutes.) He moved to Oregon at one point only to discover that it made his sinus problems so bad he could not train properly. And this took awhile to figure out. I am not going to bother looking up the times, but I seem to recall mile times in the range of 4:13 and 4:18, of thereabouts. Ryun was derided at times (unfairly I'd say) as a head case in competition. I would mildly suggest that it is rather difficult to be an elite track and field athlete and those of us who have never been Olympians nor competed for a living as a world class track athlete should perhaps admit that we cannot really know how difficult it is. (I know half of you out there think you have been at his level but most of you are complete liars. Qualifying for the D II nationals is a great achievement, but it is not the same thing.)

I am convinced that Alan Webb is indeed trying very hard to regain some form. It is not a lack of effort. I also think that while I would not bet at this moment he will return to elite status, I would not be all that surprised if he did regain some form at some point in the future. I certainly wish him well. I find those that mock others who are trying and failing--in a most public arena---to be rather poor sports and generally nasty mean people.

G_D

My thoughts exactly. The guy in front didn't even break a stride. It's as if Webb's thinking the LRC message boards are going to flame me for losing to a no name college kid (which we would have). IMO, if he just doesn't have the speed anymore, he should think about moving up to the 5000. For the trials, I can only see him losing to Lagat in a slow kicker's race (13:30 pace). Of course he's out of the running if they're going sub 13:10.At least he's out there giving it a go of it. Best of luck to Mr. Webb.

Therapist with a grudge wrote:

I've seen a lot of races, and after watching this, I hate to say it, but I think Alan Webb just pulled a "SUZY".

He got psyched out. I mean, he psyched himself out.

just my .02