Webb's Future is at 5000

I was about to comment on that too. This comes from the same field of thought where guys say they can only run a 60 second quarter but can run 2:02 800 and 4:15 mile or so. That is just rediculous, you can run faster than 60 easily as Webb can run much faster than 49.99. It's really to difficult to say what Webb or any of the top guys can run for a quarter as at best they are just well educated estimates, even by the athlete and coach themselves. When do they ever line up, fresh and run a 400 like a sprinter to see what they are really capable of? No way Webb's 400 speed is now worse than it was in hs. The Webb/Raczko team are obviously too smart to know that his speed should be compromised in any way to improve in the 1500/mile. His raw footspeed is what got him to his 3:53 in hs in the first place, not long years of training. Webb, keep doing what you're doing as it is obviously working as sub 3:30 could be in the cards next year. Especially if he runs even pace, as someone pointed out, that he doesn't usually do.

I think Webb will ultimately be a 5000m runner but hopefully he'll work on 800/1500 for next 2-3 years.

If he had found any kick or they hadn't dawdled through some 66/67s when the pacemaker dropped out Webb would have run 13:02.

Lagat looked brilliant though - a sub 25 last 200 and his kick looked more potent than at the mile.

I don't see how you can compare Webb with Ovett though.

Ovett was much faster and always had a great kick.

Ovett was prettier too - until he lost his hair!

The only similarity was their first 5000m - Ovett raced Miruts Yifter in the late 70s and looked ok as he followed the pace and you thought there was going to be a great sprint finish - However Yifter kicked a 54 last lap and Ovett struggled to run a 60 and ran a 13:25.

I'm sure Webb will get stronger (especially if he does more 5000m training) and maybe his kick will improve and his tactics too but he will never win a medal at 1500 in a sprint finish if he can't run a sub 1:46 800.

But maybe off a fast pace (say 1:53 for 800 with someone else leading) and then a gradual build up in speed - he might have the endurance to get a medal.

This thread will stay hidden at page 100 when Webb runs a 3:46 Mile in 2006 or 2007. Sure, he may concentrate on 5000m in later years, but if anyone thinks he is anywhere near his peak 1500m form, ....well, why would anyone think that? He is young, he is going to be stronger, and his kick / tactics / confidence will continue to improve. He is clearly on the upswing.

Webb won't medal until he's stroking 1:45 and 1:46s...bottomline. Once he finishes his high mileage training which culminates at World XC...he should ratchet down methodically: Penn 5K, Pre 2 mile, then 400-800-Miles for the rest of the year. Ask other guys like Coe & Ovett...

If he were on EPO like Lagat it might help his kick.

coach wrote:

And great milers should be able to run great 5000 meter times.

Can't really agree with this statement. Can't remember his PR, but Seb Coe never ran a "great" 5k. Steve Scott's PR, although he trained like a 5k runner, was only in the 13:30's. Great milers like John Walker and Steve Ovett had 5k PR's only in the mid 13:20's. Even El G's 5k PR is well off the WR. There have been very good or even great milers like Dave Moorcroft and Kip Keino who set 5k world records, but you could argue that they were really 5k runners who dropped down and did well at the mile, as their forte was their strength, not their speed.

guys like Liquori, ElG, Aouita, Keino, and Morcelli are a few of the great 1500 meter runners who won major championships or were highly ranked in the 5000

coach wrote:

guys like Liquori, ElG, Aouita, Keino, and Morcelli are a few of the great 1500 meter runners who won major championships or were highly ranked in the 5000

True, but you made a blanket statement and the fact is the above are EXCEPTIONS, most great 1500 runners NEVER run close to great 5k times, if they compete at all at the distance, much less win medals. More examples -- Ryun, Bayi, Snell, Elliot, Cram, Vasala, Spivey, Bile, Cacho. A couple of good maybe great milers who DID do well at 5k -- Maree, Coughlan.

you're right sorry about the hyperbole

get a clue wrote:

you guys are completely insane if you think Webb has anywhere near 47 quarter speed anymore. His speed is progressively getting worse and worse, as shown by his 800, and he's too slow to close in a kicker's race at 1500m. if you disagree, then tell me a time, when he outkicked someone that he didnt have a 6 second pr better than them at the time....hes probably a 49.99 guy at best right now...all that strength, and can only muster 1:47 this year??? thats GARBAGE for a 3:48 guy...

yea he is a 49.99 at best. oh wait, didnt he run sub 50 in an 800 race for 1:48 before worlds

or to emphasize, he closed under 50

he f***ing did it!!!

Despite Webb's 3:46 and big 1500 wins, I still think Webb would be a beast at the 5000 and could give Bekele a run for his money.

In 1 or 2 years Webb will smoke KB. He has superior speed

and soon strength enough.

Go Webb.

Bengel

Webb should give the steeplechase a shot. With his raw foot speed, he should easily be under 8:00. THAT is his best chance at a medal.

Something someone on the trackandfieldnews board noted:

Of the seven runners ahead of Webb on the all-time mile list

El Guerrouj 3:43.13

Noah Ngeny 3:43.40

Norredine Morceli 3:44.39

Steve Cram 3:46.32

Daniel Komen 3:46.38

Vénuste Niyongabo 3:46.70

Saïd Aouita 3:46.76

There are just as many Olympic 5000m champions (3) as 1500m champions on that list.

There is no question, in my mind at least, that Webb is the only one among the current crop of Americans capable of delivering a sub-12:50 one day, including Teg. Unfortunately, there's going to be about 25 other guys in the Olympic 5000 heats capable of that same feat.

But, to your point, I do believe Webb will run a 3:45 before his career is over, and that should give him a major edge when it comes down to a sub-4:00 last mile to win an Olympic 5000.

Hopefully after Webb runs at Worlds (and gets a medal) he will take a shot at the 5000, maybe sometime in late September. If he could run 13:10 a couple of years ago at the end of track season, it's reasonable to think he could now run 12:55-13:05 just off his mile shape.