Jakob - poor sportsman?

LondonLocal wrote:

Not intended as a Jakob-bashing thread, just curious to get people's thoughts. Was watching the Lausanne 3000m tonight and was thinking how other than front-running some 1500's (usually those which dont involve Tim) we never see Jakob share the lead in longer events (3000/5000), he always sits in and like tonight lets McSweyn or others do all the work.

Of course I appreciate he has no obligation at all to help out, but it does strike me as annoying when someone of that calibre never helps push along the pace in competitive events. Had he have helped, they surely would've stayed on 60s laps tonight?

Shame.

nominated for dumbest thread/op of 2021

hobbyjogger1 wrote:

I was thinking the same thing. Although it's part of racing. But I would like to see him tow the line and earn his victory. I started rooting for his opponent after watching his opponent going for it.

What the bleep do you mean, 'earn his victory'?? You people are nuts, just nuts!! He has trained for basically his entire life to get to where he is right now, to the point where he is arguably one of the most, if not THE most, complete middle distance runner in the world. It is his job, his reason for being, to win races, period. Not to offer himself as a sacrificial lamb so basement dwellers such as yourself can feel good about all of it...and as far as I can tell he has earned every one of his victories. You idiots who think he isn't earning it if he's not running from the front are just mystifying to me.

pupil3142 wrote:

LondonLocal wrote:

Not intended as a Jakob-bashing thread, just curious to get people's thoughts. Was watching the Lausanne 3000m tonight and was thinking how other than front-running some 1500's (usually those which dont involve Tim) we never see Jakob share the lead in longer events (3000/5000), he always sits in and like tonight lets McSweyn or others do all the work.

Of course I appreciate he has no obligation at all to help out, but it does strike me as annoying when someone of that calibre never helps push along the pace in competitive events. Had he have helped, they surely would've stayed on 60s laps tonight?

Shame.

nominated for dumbest thread/op of 2021

Seconded!!

Excellent post.

Not in the know wrote:

I've been frequenting Letsrun since 2003 and I have never understood the criticism that some runners don't share the lead. Rupp got slammed all the time for it.

I didn't understand it then and I don't understand it now. As Herm Edwards said "You play to win the game!"

Sincerely could not agree more. Various usernames since 2008, the whole "decorum and unspoken rules" crap has gotta go. A race is a race is a race, and the objective is to win. Why wouldn't I race in the most effective manner possible? I don't want to give the other runners a fair shot to win and beat me. I want as fair a competition before the race as possible, so that when the race happens I don't have to be concerned about fairness. This is obviously why doping matters. Once the gun goes? who gives a crap, the race is happening. I want to make myself difficult to run around, difficult to pace off of, and difficult to predict. Why on earth would I want to make it easier or more fair for the other guys? so that they can have a fair shot? so we can all be polite in the pack and wait for the last 2/4/5/6/800m of a given race? Y'all worship pre on these forums but then say crap like this, it's inconsistent.