What Elite Runner Has Gotten the Least out of The Talent They Have?

moist wrote:

1) Pre

2) Jim Ryun

3) Suzy Favor Hamilton (though her Vegas gig was quite successful)

4) Morgan Uceny

idk jim ryun got the best he could for what he knew...

but with modern training, pacers, synthetic track....

yeah, your right

moist wrote:

You think so? She got beat so badly over 1500m it made me wonder.

Totally. You can see in every 800m, she just waits until the last 200m and coasts to victory, looking completely unstrained. If she went out with a pacer in 55 seconds and didn't wait for the final kick, who knows what we could see.

She only got 3rd in 1500m with basically no background in the event. Different event that requires way more aerobic work than the 800m. Might be able to win that if she actually trained for it.

Jeff Thode

Merber (more hours on twitter than running), German and Diego Estrada would do better in a conservative approach

zzz wrote:

Merber (more hours on twitter than running), German and Diego Estrada would do better in a conservative approach

I think Estrada is a Lone Ranger by nature anyone he would train with would probably have a target on their back and workouts would become glorified co*k swinging contest to see who can run themselves in the ground more.

However, i do believe a NOP or BTC would be a great environment for diego to see full potential. Seems like a pretty durable guy, and those groups visit altitude often if that would be his only concern.

zzz wrote:

Merber (more hours on twitter than running), German and Diego Estrada would do better in a conservative approach

It always makes me laugh when someone on here says "X spends more time doing Y ("on Twitter") than running and that's why they're not as fast as they could be." I'm quite certain Kyle Merber would not be a faster runner if he exited the app and went for a run. I'm sure he gets all of his required mileage in and then tweets while lying on the couch during his recovery time, which by the way, is a vital component to training.

Ryan Sheridan...just missed the course record at Federations as a sophomore in high school, great time at sunken meadow, top sophomore finisher at foot lockers.

Missed entire Junior + Senior years of high school, finished top 10 at ncaas in cross. Just could never string together a large block of training due to injuries.

nattylight wrote:

Ryan Sheridan...just missed the course record at Federations as a sophomore in high school, great time at sunken meadow, top sophomore finisher at foot lockers.

Missed entire Junior + Senior years of high school, finished top 10 at ncaas in cross. Just could never string together a large block of training due to injuries.

You should check the thread title.

Alan Webb.

lfgdfjksdfhjsdf wrote:

observer_of_things wrote:

uh ...

1500 3:28 - national and european record

3000 7:32 - national record

2m 8:07 - national and european record

2m i 8:03 - national, european, and WORLD record

5000 12:53 - national record

10000 26:46 national and european record

1. ok, fair

2. SOFT

3. SOFT!!!

4. SOFT!!!!!!

5. SO SOFT!!!!!!

6. Less soft but still soft.

Yeap

This thread is a paradox, because the answer should really be among a bunch of people you never heard of because they never came close to reaching their potential, so they were a flash in the pan or a never had been to begin with.

By throwing "elite" in there you are analyzing runners who lived up to some of their potential, but never got as far as they should have.

I would move a motion that we not consider anybody who has won an Olympic - or particularly multiple - gold medal (or any Olympic medal in the case of white American born runners).

My immediate thought was Alan Webb. He had perhaps more raw talent that any American mid/distance runner in a generation, but at the top level ultimately had little more to show for it than an AR and a season of diamond league wins.

There is still time, but Mary Cain comes to mind.

Kim Collins had a great career for someone that hardly ever broke 10 in the 100.

The kid who won footlocker and went to Arkansas only to drop out and join the Marines. Cormier? Not judging that choice, but running wise obviously got very little out of immense talent.

epicTCK wrote:

Webb had 3:40 potential IMO

anyone else?

No one, living or dead, has ever had 3:40 potential.

3hr-marathoner wrote:

I'm no Farah hater. In fact by the standards on this board I'm practically a fan-boy but I don't think he did himself any favors by never racing for time at his best distances. IMO at his peak his best distance was probably the 5000m which probably has the strongest WR of any distance event, however, I would have liked to have seen him take a few shots at seeing how close he could get.

But do you think this qualifies him as the "Elite Runner (That) Has Gotten the Least out of The Talent They Have"?

Because THIS is what the thread is about.

I can't believe you put forth the name of the guy that has won more Global golds than Bekele or Gebrselassie on the track.

I would nominate Shannon Butler.

moist wrote:

1) Pre

2) Jim Ryun

3) Suzy Favor Hamilton (though her Vegas gig was quite successful)

4) Morgan Uceny

I don't know where to start here?

Ryun was the AR holder for the Mile in HS (3:55.3). He won MANY NCAA titles. He made THREE Olympic teams. He set TWO WRs in the Mile and broke the WR by an unheard-of margin. He broke the WR in the 1500m. He set the WR in the indoor and outdoor 880yd. He got a SILVER medal in the 1968 Olympics.

All by age 21.

I don't have enough time to point out how stupid that is about Pre, but it starts with 7 NCAA Titles and an AR at ...

2000m

3000m

2M

3M

5000m

6M

10000m

... all by age 23.

At the elite level (not previous), Leah O’Connor has to be a nominee. Total disappearing act.

Mo Trafeh...easy!