Desire Davila run 1:10:51 in Japan this morning

Why is it people have no problem with calling Davila a 2:22 marathoner but can't give Hall credit as a sub 2:05 marathoner?

?????????? wrote:

Why is it people have no problem with calling Davila a 2:22 marathoner but can't give Hall credit as a sub 2:05 marathoner?

Good point, except that Desi's lore, even if limited to Boston 2011, has much more to do with the sprint finish against the ultimate winner than time. Hall's, who finished fourth in 2011, on the other hand, has much more to do with time, and is only further hyped by the Asics (treadmill, etc.) promotions.

just a thought.... wrote:

How long is it until the next Olympics?

As far as Hall goes, he is the ONLY American in the last few years able to mix it up for wins in the marathon and I APPLAUD him for doing everything he can to try and win.

If that means going over the edge a few times, so be it. You can't be great if you don't take those risks.

Ummm what? The Olympic Trials don't count...and he didn't even win that. Ever heard of Meb? Went on to get fourth in the Olympics..you know, in London..remember? And won a major marathon 4 years ago, something Hall has never come close to doing.

Montesquieu wrote:

There must be some part of her being only 17 seconds off her PR, set three months before her Boston 2:22 that you don't quite get. Which part is it?

Bacon loop wrote:

Im not so sure , I think she is stuck and is not transitioning back as expected. She is not relevant on the world scene , really not a threat nationally at this point.

I think its maybe time for a coaching change.

--

Her 1/2 PR is weak for a 2:22 marathoner ( BTW marathon PR on very fast day with a tail wind) she did race well on the day and showed guts and determination. BTW , the Japan 1/2 course is a PR course , meaning its fast.

What I do get is that many here don't understand that she will not reach her potential with where she lives and with her current coaches.

I put her situation somewhat like a Brenda Martinez , peaks at great talent until a coach that understands world class gets involved and gets her there. Des will toil in mediocrity until she finds a coach that develops the potential we know is there and we can all get off the bandwagon of " she's coming along nicely BS".

Management 101 wrote:

Abdi and Hall are being mismanaged. They are so busy chasing the next pay day that they forgot how to get back to racing. Abdi is just trying to extend his career but Hall is too young to be making the same mistakes over and over again.

This has to to be one of the dumbest things I"ve read on letsrun in a long while? Hall, who is just about to hit the 2year anniversary of the last marathon he's finished, is too busy chasing a payday? He's passed up 3 straight appearance fees when he could have easily just taken the money.

Little help here wrote:

When has Ryan mixed it up over the last 10k of a marathon other than the Olympic Trials. Desiree has that on her resume, Ryan does not.

Ok. Well in his marathon debut he had the lead at mile 18 in London:

So I guess that's not the last 10k.

The next year he was in the lead pack at 35k in London:

So there you have it.

-Rojo

PS. To compare women's marathoning to men's is like comparing apples to grapes. They both are great but very different.

This year the men's world record of 2:03:23 was run. 35 men have run a time within 4 minutes of that this year.

The women's world record is 2:15:25. In all of history, only 7 women have ever run within 4 minutes of that.

Now Paula's Radcliffe is WAY out there. It would be something close to sub-2 for a man.

But even if we use the 2013 best time by a woman of 2:19:57. There were only 23 women to run within 4 minutes of that this year. So men's marathoning is 50% more deep up front.

I would label it a pretty good outing all things things considered. Even though it was a pretty good national time and only 17 seconds off of her PR, I do have to be realistic in stating that Desi has had enough training and races that this was the race were we have to stop calling it a come back. She is back already and finishing 7th in a sub-major half is just OK. A couple of years ago Desi was on a targectory to become a 1:08/2:20 athlete, with that said, the struggle and perhaps the goal will be to simply get back to were she once was.

Amen rojo. In other words, women's marathoning is about as competitive as curling

just a thought.... wrote:

How long is it until the next Olympics?

As far as Hall goes, he is the ONLY American in the last few years able to mix it up for wins in the marathon and I APPLAUD him for doing everything he can to try and win.

If that means going over the edge a few times, so be it. You can't be great if you don't take those risks.

Meb has done more.

Montesquieu wrote:

17 seconds off her PR, which she ran three months before her 2:22 in Boston.

How is she running 2:22 off 1:10:30+ ?

I didn't know that being an Olympian, second at the Boston Marathon, fourth at the Chicago Marathon, second at the US Trials (all from someone who is college, at NCAA X-C finished in 150th, 42nd, and 41st at ASU) was mediocre. I'm sure, though, had you looked at her college record you would have realized "the potential we know is there."

Do you have an opinion on her 2mile jog in London?

DESI MUST WIN BOSTON 2014 TO HAVE GLORY!!!!!!!!

Good work Desiree.

I agree with you Rojo. Women's marathoning is almost as uncompetitive as the Ivy league in D1 Cross-Country and Track. Women (and the Ivy League) get excited about beating their own. Merry Christmas you chauvinist piece of shit.

Okay little brother wrote:

I agree with you Rojo. Women's marathoning is almost as uncompetitive as the Ivy league in D1 Cross-Country and Track. Women (and the Ivy League) get excited about beating their own. Merry Christmas you chauvinist piece of shit.

HAHAHA. I don't know why this made me laugh so hard, but it did. Way to totally totally misrepresent what Rojo was trying to say.

Coach--I think the 2:22 with the wind was probably worth 2:24, which is more in line with 1:10, but it also suggests something of her training with Hansons Brooks--namely, highly aerobic during their marathon buildup. It would be interesting to see what she could run in the half off of most 10000 track training.

ukathleticscoach wrote:

Montesquieu wrote:

17 seconds off her PR, which she ran three months before her 2:22 in Boston.

How is she running 2:22 off 1:10:30+ ?

Thanks for the history lesson. Im not sure what relevance it has to anything. I think though the premise of this thread is Des being relevant today. She is stuck like it not , mediocrity comes from the inability for her to get to the next level from her last setback. I state again , training where she does and inability of her current coaches to get her to the next level will limit her potential.