Webb went for it. Why not try. He ran with balls and had a great season that year. He has my respect for trying something different. Was it crazy? Yes but sometimes that will work. Had he left it to the end he may have finished a few places ahead but the kick othose top three was more than he may have had ithe bag anyway. I give credit to him for going after it.
What Leave It said.
What was he thinking? I'll tell you what he was thinking...
He was experimenting with running on pure hate. He couldn't handle the results and was not able to sustain his effort. Alan Webb couldn't hate purely enough and long enough to pull off a win. But, he had to give it a shot.
Alan doesn't think well when he races. That has always been his flaw on the elite level. I remember people being psyched about that race, then watching his move on the back straight and being horrified. His tactics (or lack of tactics) did not improve in the years following. He then took a tactic of semi-retirement and racing himself into shape against lower level collegians. I love the guy, but wish he had some racing intuition in that giant cranium to go with that speed of his. Very unfortunate situation.
Leave it wrote:
Webb went for it. Why not try. He ran with balls and had a great season that year. He has my respect for trying something different. Was it crazy? Yes but sometimes that will work. Had he left it to the end he may have finished a few places ahead but the kick othose top three was more than he may have had ithe bag anyway. I give credit to him for going after it.
If he wanted to "run with balls" he should have clicked up faster earlier laps, not sat back with the slow-ass Spaniard pace.
Where was Lagat and the other big names this year?
Would love to watch every race you've ever run. "WHAT WAS HE DOING SURGING TO 6:50 PACE IN A 22 MINUTE 5K!"
So we can't criticize one of the worst racing moves of all time unless we're elite?
Dennis Reynolds wrote:
Would love to watch every race you've ever run. "WHAT WAS HE DOING SURGING TO 6:50 PACE IN A 22 MINUTE 5K!"
A 22 minute 5k is 7:05 pace. Surging to 6:50 pace in a race being run at an average of 7:05 is hardly unreasonable.
They left out how he was bouncing around and talking to himself in the 5 mins before they started. He was acting like a nutter. Steve Ovett on another broadcast said as much.
That video is terrible on miphone.
Going to have to disagree with Leave It and his supporters here. There's a difference between "leaving it all on the line" or "trying your hardest" or "showing guts" and what Alan Webb did, which is more on the side of stupidity.
In a World Championship 1500 final, there are only 3 places where a 12.3 second 100 is acceptable: 1200-1300, 1300-1400, or 1400-1500. The rest--even 1100-1200--is asking for trouble (I think Kiplagat's 100 split at this point in the 2011 final was somewhere under 13, and it ended up working nicely to Kiprop's favor). I don't care how slow or tactical the race is, a 12.3 100 is always flying and will always take it out of you.
Webb learned to race in high school, but unfortunately skipping collegiate competition prevented him from graduating to a higher level in his race tactics.
Pure and simple the guy doesn't know how to race. In high school he was untouchable, recall that he ran 4:06 as a sophomore. He only spent one year racing in college. Then after that he was a pro, and a significant number of pro races are rabbitted affairs where the primary tactic is hold on and try to go as fast as possible.
When would he have learned how to run in a slow race where everyone is nearly the same speed and so it comes down to tactics?
there was an extremely long and hilarious thread on this in 2005, centered around alan webb's "post race quotes"
i've searched the boards over and over but still cant find it... there were a few gems in there, such as "I was practicing for a 700m race later this year" and "I forgot how to run, so I freaked out and just sprinted"
also the classic "Ramzi turned to me and said, 'I'm too juiced to lose'"
water compayn wrote:
Where was Lagat and the other big names this year?
Lagat changed citizenship and was not allowed to compete but he did have the fastest time in the world that year.
El G had just retired.
Ramzi was becoming the big name.
Ramzi won Gold in 2005, Silver in 2007 and then Gold in the 2008 Olympics (temporarily).
Webb wasn't a favorite to medal in 2005 so he just tried something a little nutty.
To me, Webb's defining race was his win in Paris in 2007 in 3:30 over Baala.
We pulled out of a race in 2007 before WC's with an injury and was a bit shaky going into WC's that year.
found a couple, not sure why the dates are off, but these look like the originals:
I was just about about to post that thread.
So here is finish line pic of Ramzi winning his prelim in 2005 and drifting out to lane 7:
He saw my post about putting in a surge and didn't understand that I meant one long sustained surge to the tape, not an insame sprint that would tire him out and help everyone else.
I had forgot about this race.
Watching this again made me remember what I love about Webb. That he thinks he can beat anyone in the World.
That move can work against the US's best as Webb did at the Trials but not against doped Ramzi and guys who are at another level.
At the same time I loved the fact he tried it. 700 out that was too far, too fast. But if he tried it at 400 the outcome would have been likely the same.
In a 60 second paced race where should have Webb gone?
Worst tactical move ever.
