Ingebritsen - an overlooked facet of his brilliance

Jakob said 2-3 year ago that his goal was to be so good, that he didnt have to fight head to head the last 50 meters. That he could go to the lead and just run from them. He is there now, in most races. In 2 years time, he will be that dominant in every race, is my prediction.

I think you have it backwards.

He runs these like Viren and Farah. Everything is to avoid stress until kicking from 800 to 1000 out. Get and Bekelw would have done it morebut usually had a teammate riding shotgun for them.

Yes, it’s that simple.

Your post says it all. These are 3:32-3:34 runners at best racing this heat.

JI is 3:27-3:28 ability.

Their condition on the last lap of a 3:38 race is thus miles apart.

That is Jakob's PR problem right there. To be the very best you have to be arrogant, at least as far as your athletic ability is concerned. Before you can win you have to believe you can win. To be the best you have to have a deep confidence that you are the best. (there are exceptions of course but they are relatively rare) Most athletes know how to not put that arrogance on public display. Jakob does not seem to have that inner control, It does not make him a bad person or not a nice person and with a few more years and maturity, maybe he will learn not to shove it under people's noses.

Did somebody say... R-Y-U-N?

U mean...

~1.39
~3.24
~3.41

RYUN >> Yaqub

Not really when you know that part of the race when it's still too far to push and far enough from the start that everyone start feeling the pain. Would that be 700-900m in the 1500m?

It's weird to be arrogant about how your dad was obsessed with pumping out babies and making them elite endurance athlete elites, and you are his 4th crack at the bat (After Filip, Henrik, and Marten), and so trained you to be one.

We all really need to admit that it is actually Gjert who is the real genius here. He worked out the bugs in his training program and Jakob is reaping the benefits. Good for Jakob and everything, but if it weren't for his dad making him roller ski in empty parking garages for 1-2 hours before school every day growing up, he wouldn't be where he is today.

He has the best engine in the field. Why waste the energy with jostling, elbows and surging for position especially in a 5k when the race is not won in the first 500m. Same in the 1500m or mile. Wasting energy both physical and emotional in the first 100m. can be best used over the last 500m.

Wait none of this makes any sense! Remember, as we've been repeatedly told by the "expert physiologists" [lol] on let'srun, one's creatine Energy System can only be fully utilized in the first 200m of a race and if the pace is near full speed. And that is why one must, must, MUST go out very fast in the first 200 of an 800 M race if they're going to run a PR [ **even though**... countless athletes have run their best 800 or near their best 800 contradicting that pace strategy and running a very even effort].

So.... Jakob is leaving a key source of energy on the table by not blasting out quite fast in the first 200 of his races. Shame on you Jakob you need to come to let's run more often to learn proper tactics and physiology!

You know who else does this type of racing? Sifan Hassan and Mo Farah.

Most races don't count or are not that competitive, so I am not certain how important it is to him to do that in most races or how indicative it is in predicting if he can do that in the big meets. He has certainly been one of the most consistent performers on the track, always seeming to be in contention. But he failed to win the most competitive 1500 races he has had since the Olympics (the Diamond League Final and the World Champs), so nothing indicates that he will eventually be "dominant in every race". That is a really high standard that very few in history have ever achieved and unlikely he will do that. World competition is just too good.

Kiprop was know for this tactic as well. When you got the good juice, you can afford to sink around the first couple hundred

Precisely - and yet even though he is the best guy in the field talent and ability wise (and at a very minimum equal with anyone else) and one of the guys who in theory has the ability to best manage a hectic first 100-300m, he does the total opposite, further enhancing his advantages. And that's the entire point of my post which some people really don't seem to grasp.

It will be interesting to see if he does this again in a Championship race.

Moreover, Ingebrigtsen is the only runner in that heat who ran his first 800 at his 5k pace. Maybe someone else split the first 800 at their potential 3k pace, but there’s no comparing just how comfortable that first 800 was between Jakob and the rest of that field.

Starting races slowly and going straight to the back is nothing new.

Watch Keino start in the back in the 1968 Olympic 1500 meters final, not take the lead until the 700m mark and then run away to gold.

In the 70's there were Kenyan runners that would seemingly just stand on the line after the gun, then slowly work their way over to the rail and back of the pack.

This may be a way to more easily win races when you are fitter than everyone else, but not the way to run your fastest race or set records

and they are also brilliant racers (as evidenced by a combined 14 gold medals at the OG and WC)

I'm stunned people want to even contend this given its so outrageously obvious.