Wow Brett Larner has a stick up his butt; calls out Shalane Flanagan b/c angry press release didn't mention Japan chick

I used to live in Tokyo and, while I wouldn't use that language, you have it right. Like a lot of long term expats, Brett has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about his adopted country and its running prowess. I enjoy his site, but he's laughably a homer and his arguments about the overall superiority (college or pro) of Japanese running vs the USA's border on absurd.But, sorry Brett, you're a public figure via your blog in my book, so I don't feel bad in saying that OP has it right: you consistently come across as a complete douche. The stuff with Jason Meyeroff was ridiculous. Can't help but wonder if Brett has small-man's syndrome or is just bitter that he was such a mediocre runner...

Not Cool Bro wrote:

His comment wasn't outrageous, but his stuff does come across as anti-American at times, which is why I get sick of it and started a thread. I can't remember what it was about, but I LR and him had a bit of a debate going back and forth after he was angered by something they said about Japanese runners in their weekly recap. He also made a big to-do once because Flotrack didn't link to him or something.

Like I said, big stick up his butt.

historical friction wrote:

Boston is still aided because it's a huge net downhill. Sure, there are hills that slow it down, but try running it backward and see how fast you run.

Yes, a challenging net uphill course will be slower than a challenging net downhill course. You must be a genius.

Both versions are still slower than a perfectly flat course like Chicago/Berlin.

Rob? :)

fan of US distance running wrote:

historical friction wrote:

2012 was slow because it was hotter than balls. They'll even run slow in Berlin, Frankfurt and Rotterdam if it's in the high 80's.

You are correct in that NYC is not record eligible, because the S/F separation is too great. But Boston is still aided because it's a huge net downhill. Sure, there are hills that slow it down, but try running it backward and see how fast you run.

Last year's women's race was a great example of how fast you can run there when you run hard from the gun. If the race provided rabbits, we'd see silly times, and not just in the big tailwind years.

uhhh, no

Boston is not a fast course. It was slower than every other WMM course until 2010. Go back & look at the winning times for previous years.

Go back and look and look at which WMM majors were paced. All but NYC and Boston. NYC only had one fast year (2011) when conditions were perfect.

I wanted to advertise of Larner's blog, but after this, absolutely not. He is Snowden.

Ignore. Larner isn't Japanese.

historical friction wrote:

fan of US distance running wrote:

uhhh, no

Boston is not a fast course. It was slower than every other WMM course until 2010. Go back & look at the winning times for previous years.

Go back and look and look at which WMM majors were paced. All but NYC and Boston. NYC only had one fast year (2011) when conditions were perfect.

and your point is....?

Boston is SLOWER than berlin, chicago, london, etc (unless there is a hurricane at your back)

with or without pacers

that is the point

boston & NYC are not iaaf record eligible courses. that does not mean they are "aided", which is what brett larner was implying was the case

they are both difficult courses and and equal effort on any of those two courses, compared to london, berlin, or chicago, will yield a slower time

fan of US distance running wrote:

uhhh, no

Boston is not a fast course. It was slower than every other WMM course until 2010. Go back & look at the winning times for previous years.

This is correct. There was a molecular grid shift in subcutaneous freefares that suddenly made the course unusual in 2010, and then, it changed back to being slow again.

fan of US distance running wrote:

historical friction wrote:

Go back and look and look at which WMM majors were paced. All but NYC and Boston. NYC only had one fast year (2011) when conditions were perfect.

and your point is....?

Boston is SLOWER than berlin, chicago, london, etc (unless there is a hurricane at your back)

with or without pacers

that is the point

boston & NYC are not iaaf record eligible courses. that does not mean they are "aided", which is what brett larner was implying was the case

they are both difficult courses and and equal effort on any of those two courses, compared to london, berlin, or chicago, will yield a slower time

My point is that you can't always tell how "fast" a course is simply by looking at times run by the top finishers if the races are not paced.

But, if we do look at 2014, which was not a "hurricane" year, but was the one edition that was ever "paced" (Shalane essentially acted as a rabbit), it was the fastest ever for places 6-11 in any marathon ever. Sure, that was partially a result of the deep field, but also, I would posit, from the fast nature of Boston's course.

I'm not arguing that it's faster than Chicago or Berlin. It IS faster than Tokyo, which, although record-eligible, usually finishes into the wind. But it is an "aided" course, as Larmer points out, and times there are included on separate lists for a reason.

okay

I just think it is stupid of larner to try and make a point that Boston times should have an * next to them, when times run in chicago and berlin are accepted as being legit, even though they are almost always faster times there

larner doesn't work for an authentic news paper, magazine, nor tv station. he's a poser. a fake scribe. larner is rich kid with nothing else to do like foley and sotloff whose heads were sliced off by ISIS.

Larner is the only reason any of us have the vaguest notion what's going on with running in Japan.

Not to mention the women's race winner ran a one minute PB to run 2:18:57 and the men's race winner ran a PB at age 38. If Shalane can match her Boston time on a record legal course it will be a great result for her.

So, it appears Fukushi stayed with the lead pack till just after 10k.

http://results.scc-events.com/2014/?content=detail&fpid=list&pid=list&idp=00001705C9AF3B000039158C&lang=EN&event=MAL

http://results.scc-events.com/2014/?content=detail&fpid=list&pid=list&idp=00001705C9AF3B000039158A&lang=EN&event=MAL

Then began her fade to the finish. Way to stick up for your girl though, Brett.

easier to see

http://results.scc-events.com/2014/?pid=leaderboard

Maybe this will teach him to STFU. Probably not, knowing Brett.

W wrote:

Larner is the only reason any of us have the vaguest notion what's going on with running in Japan.

Yes, because otherwise our life would be meaningless and incomplete...

LARNER LOOKS LIKE A COMPLETE TOOL TODAY. He has NO insight into the training of the Japanese. He just copies everything from websites and newspapers and blogs about it.

His credibility is lost.

Joke's on all you. He created a controversy, you plugged his website because of it.