Aurora Scott (from LetsRun front page)

She's definately not a statistic. You asked for me to find another example of someone like existing today. They're all from Kenya and Ethiopia, not America. She's smart because she is running the African way, not the American way. and it is this American way that leads to the failure you refer to. And, read the article again. She has done longer distance and still is, but it states very clearly that she is running hs cross country and hs outdoor track. The 5k and marathon, as you said she is only focusing on, do not exist at these levels. as marathoning does not exist at the collegiate level of sports, which she also said she would be focusing on. You are too side blinded by her marathoning pursuits to see her very well thought out career plan in running.

You give a good example of what should be done, but the only problem, unfortunately, is that racing only 10 times per year does not fuel young passions. I agree with your Lydiard approach and patience, but if you were to coach this athlete and then give her the option of choosing another coach who would let her dabble in marathons, at a pace that gives great aerobic threshold benefits, dabble in 5ks, build her speed with 1500s, not over do her anaerobic work but emphasize the longer stuff to get away from anaerobic stress (smartly done), the athlete would choose the second coach over you, that's all there is to it.

The marathon does not exist at her level for good reasons. It is BAD for them.

Also for you Kenya and Ethiopia example. That point is not very valid, because you do not know what they are doing at that young of an age. For one thing, they just do areobic type running and rarely race. How do I know this? Living with a Kenyan in college. Also, the coaches over there have a better track record then her dad.

Also, I do commend her parents for making her go to public school. I think that would be best for her running, because it may give her life a little more balance.

I still believe that she will become a statistic. It may not be until college.

[quote

You give a good example of what should be done, but the only problem, unfortunately, is that racing only 10 times per year does not fuel young passions.[/quote]

Passion can burn out quickly. She is only 14 and should be doing normal 14 year old things.

Apparently Wejo has never heard of Georgie Clarke from Australia...yes, there is a relation to Ron Clarke. Georgie ran (from what I recall) 4:06 for 1500 meters at the age of 15! I believe she's now almost twenty, and has made an olympic final, but her times really haven't dropped much. The point: as girls get older and put on weight, bodies change as does running style and ability, while very few young stars make it, many many do not.

It is very important for parents to be supportive but also to protect their children.

My three year old wants to go running with me all the time but the most I will do with him is to the end of the block and back.

I would run with my dad when I was 12 years old and the most he would allow was a three miler, I wanted to do more but I am still enjoying running today and enjoyed a decent college career.

The statisics overwhelming show that she will be just anothe ryoung phenom and nothing more.

Her parents are whack jobs because they support her running a marathon at 10 years old.

Bottle the passion, the parents need to choose the coach.

yes, running on asphalt is not perfect, but other than that, running at an obviously comfortable aerobic pace ONCE A YEAR for 26.2 miles is not going to ruin her. and yes, it is similiar to Eastern African training. they put in the miles at a younger age and avoid intense anaerobic work...as this young girl has done.

Your example of an Australian goes back to the different metabolisms and builds. The photo of this young girls shows her favoring the Kenyan build that tends not to gain an excessive amount of weight.

I'm glad you lived with a Kenyan, but that doesn't prove anything. It is a fact that there are African runners putting in this type of mileage at aerobic efforts, is there not? you may not agree with the venue, asphalt and a mararthon race, to pursue these benefits, but that does not mean that it is bad.

I'm off of this thread. You are the same posters who bashed Webb as a one time wonder. Show some support. You know, there's a chance that these athletes may here of the stuff said on these message boards and then lose their passion. Wouldn't that be a shame. They work so hard, and then some no name writes their expert opinion on why this athlete is going to fail, disheartening the athlete. Try supporting athletes once in a while.

This isn't NASCAR, stop waiting for the crash!

[The statisics overwhelming show that she will be just anothe ryoung phenom and nothing more.]

Show us the statistics. Then show us how they pertain to her specifically.

This is the single age records for road races. Do you recognize any names under 15 years old. No Olympians, NCAA champions, no Foot Locker Champions.

Show me a 12 year old female phenom who even made it to be all american.

The statistics you cite do not prove your point. For each age group they show only one person, the record holder. There are undoubtedly many other outstanding runners that were not record holders, who went on to become famous and successful runners. A good example is Mary Decker, who was an outstanding runner at age 14, but is not a record holder for that age. As for Aurora Scott, maybe she will, maybe she won't.

You can use statistics to convince yourself of anything you wish.

In 1999 at the Richmond Marathon, my legs cramped up and it was a death march home. To pour salt on an open wound, a little girl with her dad on bike passes me around mile 23. It was Aurora Scott w/ a time of 3:33.

http://www.richmondmarathon.com/Results/1999%20Marathon%20Results.csv

By the way, she was 9 at the time.

Never predict future success on prepuberty girls.Some years back there was a girl called Michelle De La Vina in Indiana who put up remarkable times when still very young.After puberty,her body type changed dramatically and she was unable to match her earlier performances.

Do not burden this girl with Allan Webb expectations.It took him over two years to get back to high school form

Please take the following test

A. She is a unique talent

B. Every year it is possible to find someone of this calibre

A. She is being driven hard by a maniacal father

B. She is just following her passion.

A. She is killing herself at an early age

B. She is just doing what Kenyans and Ethiopians do.

A. She will be a world-beater someday

B. She is clearly going to be a burnout

Submit your answers and we will choose the winner in 2011.

Unfortunaley, based on past experience the naysayers have the odds on their side. But the runners who win gold medals are masters at beating the odds.

Realist: Are you a long jumper? That was one heckuva leap! Saying you know all about how all Kenyans train because you lived with one in college makes as much sense as my college roommate, a Cambodian, saying he knows exactly how all American runners train because he lived with me, and I am American.

realist wrote:

How do I know this? Living with a Kenyan in college.

[Puts On Retard Hat]Most people would probably tell any man my grandfather's age that it's just plain stupid to try to run a marathon OR to try to run a 6:40 mile all out. Ed Whitlock is my grandfather's age, and he ran 6:40 pace for the marathon at Toronto last month. Man, that guy must be stupid[Takes Off Retard Hat]

Liz McColgan's 14 year-old daughter has run a faster 1500m than Aurora Scott this year (4th on the UK u/15 rankings)

With two ex-international runners as parents (and sensible enough not to let a child run marathons!!) I am certain that she has a far greater chance of making it.

9 years old is very young for someone to run a marathon. If she didn't pass me, I would question it.

Has anyone heard of anyone younger than 9 running a marathon.