Whiteman wants to do it because he was an elite but didn't win much of anything and ran in everyone's shadow. Still has things to prove. The mile is hard, you gotta have a motive.
If he runs a sub 4 at 50 he'll earn a bold-faced "MF"
If he runs a 4:00 at age 50, his PR will still be 3:47. What’s the point? Hardly any elite runners have an interest in masters running.
I was talking about Whiteman running a sub 4, but Lagat was still elite during his first few years as a master so he was pretty interested, despite not approaching his PRs.
Apparently he only retired when he realized he wouldn't be a top marathoner, despite how slow the event is from his perspective.
Lagat has that 90s mentality. Lower mileage, puke workouts, ice baths. The reason he was so good is because he’s so ridiculously talented. He’s really the greatest talent we’ve ever seen. He should have had world records and multiple golds. However, he just did stupid stuff like the aforementioned.
Lagat would of run 3:25 and 13:35, even without super shoes, had he trained like Jakob. His talent is that insane. No puke workouts needed.
Whiteman wants to do it because he was an elite but didn't win much of anything and ran in everyone's shadow. Still has things to prove. The mile is hard, you gotta have a motive.
If he runs a sub 4 at 50 he'll earn a bold-faced "MF"
If he runs a 4:00 at age 50, his PR will still be 3:47. What’s the point? Hardly any elite runners have an interest in masters running.
Lagat loves running. He's different from other runners. He isn't full of hang ups. He could run sub 4 at 50 simply for those reasons, and because he is ageing well.
If he runs a 4:00 at age 50, his PR will still be 3:47. What’s the point? Hardly any elite runners have an interest in masters running.
I was talking about Whiteman running a sub 4, but Lagat was still elite during his first few years as a master so he was pretty interested, despite not approaching his PRs.
Apparently he only retired when he realized he wouldn't be a top marathoner, despite how slow the event is from his perspective.
That’s what most elite runners do. If he believed he no longer had a chance of making the U.S. marathon team there would not be much motivation for him to continue training hard.
Lagat’s women’s team finished last at conference and lost to USC last year. USC only uses walk ons and only fields a team so it can count as a sport. His men’s team only finished 4 runners, but if you score just 4 guys he still gets dead last at conference! By 30 points! With only scoring 4 guys!
Some may he has nowhere to go but up. ironically there is an ex Razorback lecturer on campus ( from their 80 and 90’s hey days) that Lagat failed to listen too even one bit. Nor did he heed any advice from Arizona’s storied distance coach from the 80’s and 90’s when he mentored after Li left.
Lagat is going on his own. I for one am interested to see where that goes.
He was a great runner. But as a coach the results are definitely not there yet.
We all agree that Lagat is one of the greatest middle distance runners of all-time. Great for him! Now he's a coach of a D-1 program with a history of success. His college and pro coach James Li was less than impressive during his tenure in Tucson. In fact, Li only got the job because of his close friendship with the Director of X-C/TNF Fred Harvey. Li had Some spot Kenyans here and there, but NEVER a solid team. I don't believe the men ever won a Pac-12 title or West Region title in 18 years. Li bails from the program (weird), and Lagat slips in to take over and promptly humiliates himself and the school at Pac-12's and a no show at West Regionals.
He needs to step up this season. A lot of people are watching. Good Luck.
Have you checked out the Arizona rosters? They are not D-1 level runners.
According to Arizona Coach Benard Lagat’s most recent IG post, he seems to be bragging about making his women run further and harder AFTER they were pushed so hard they threw up. I don’t know how to post the picture but it’s there. How does Arizona keep ending up with coaches like this?
I think his athletes will be fine, Lagat has been in and around quality training for long enough to know what he is doing.
Why is he bragging about holding practice at illegal hours? I know that Tucson is hot, but 5 am would be a nightmare for a kid.
From the NCAA rulebook,
17.1.7.11.6.1 Required Activities Other Than Competition. [A] Required athletically related activities other than competition (and associated activities) shall not occur during a continuous eight-hour period between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
This has some exceptions, but none of them apply to Arizona
(a) During participation in a regular-season multiday contest, event or tournament, conference championship, other postseason championship or an NCAA championship; (b) Required athletically related activities in the locale of an away-from-home competition on the day before the competition if the institution's team arrives in the locale the day before the competition; (c) Participation in a promotional practice activity (e.g., first practice of the season); (d) Participation in recruiting activities, including student-host duties; (e) Participation in required life-skills and team-building activities; or (f) Health and medical activities (e.g., medical evaluations or treatment for prevention and/or rehabilitation of injuries) or academically related activities (e.g., meetings with academic advisor, tutoring sessions).
What was/is the D1 first day of official practice for xc ?
According to Arizona Coach Benard Lagat’s most recent IG post, he seems to be bragging about making his women run further and harder AFTER they were pushed so hard they threw up. I don’t know how to post the picture but it’s there. How does Arizona keep ending up with coaches like this?
I think his athletes will be fine, Lagat has been in and around quality training for long enough to know what he is doing.
Yea I’m sure they will all be ok… I just hope they field a team at regionals!
Arizona is a program on the rise, last years recruiting class was the bes they've had in years. Training is nothing crazy. Men are hitting 60mpw in 6 days with 2 workouts and a long run.
Arizona is a program on the rise, last years recruiting class was the bes they've had in years. Training is nothing crazy. Men are hitting 60mpw in 6 days with 2 workouts and a long run.
You can't do much worse, so yea hope they are on the rise. If I was a HS recruit I would be pissed to learn they don't field full teams at the NCAA Regional meet. Why even go there if you are going to be treated like a hobby jogger club runner once you get through the smoke and mirrors
According to Arizona Coach Benard Lagat’s most recent IG post, he seems to be bragging about making his women run further and harder AFTER they were pushed so hard they threw up. I don’t know how to post the picture but it’s there. How does Arizona keep ending up with coaches like this?
I think his athletes will be fine, Lagat has been in and around quality training for long enough to know what he is doing.
Yes and No.
Being in and around quality training is one thing, to understand it and communicate it is another. He's an elite athlete that has been coached by one guy, James Li. Whatever they did worked for Lagat, and the few other naturally gifted Kenyans that came to Tucson. Clearly, Li didn't understand how to coach and develop a collegiate distance running program and how he stayed in Tucson is beyond belief. What makes anyone believe that Lagat knows more? James Li was and probably still is his coaching mentor. Lagat knows what worked for him and ONLY him. Now everyone expects him to implement his "Magical" James Li workouts that he did to a bunch of American 9:10 two milers and 4:20 milers and expect them to work? I don't think so. Lagat is not going to have the patience and will quit the program for some lame reason like James Li did.
Question: How many world-class African middle-long distance runners became successful coaches? At any level? Hmmmm...not many at all, and why is that? The reason is that they don't even know why they ran fast. They just ran their butts off until they couldn't keep up and then retired.
I give Lagat this season and maybe next season and then he's gone.
I think his athletes will be fine, Lagat has been in and around quality training for long enough to know what he is doing.
Yes and No.
Being in and around quality training is one thing, to understand it and communicate it is another. He's an elite athlete that has been coached by one guy, James Li. Whatever they did worked for Lagat, and the few other naturally gifted Kenyans that came to Tucson. Clearly, Li didn't understand how to coach and develop a collegiate distance running program and how he stayed in Tucson is beyond belief. What makes anyone believe that Lagat knows more? James Li was and probably still is his coaching mentor. Lagat knows what worked for him and ONLY him. Now everyone expects him to implement his "Magical" James Li workouts that he did to a bunch of American 9:10 two milers and 4:20 milers and expect them to work? I don't think so. Lagat is not going to have the patience and will quit the program for some lame reason like James Li did.
Question: How many world-class African middle-long distance runners became successful coaches? At any level? Hmmmm...not many at all, and why is that? The reason is that they don't even know why they ran fast. They just ran their butts off until they couldn't keep up and then retired.
I give Lagat this season and maybe next season and then he's gone.
I don't disagree with all of this, but you're missing a couple things:
1) This applies to a lot of DI coaches, if not to quite the same extent. Quite a few distance coaches are just former DI runners recycling their old stuff in some way shape or form. Of course there are those who really innovate and come up with unique systems but it's way more rare in the NCAA than people on these boards for some reason seem to think. Mostly they all do the same stuff anyway.
2) It's not "beyond belief" that James Li lasted so long. You just need to understand that the good folks in the Arizona athletic dept. don't read Letsrun, don't know much about the sport, and don't really care. Some schools do. This one clearly does not. They would probably rather have an all time great athlete posting stuff like this and having a great time with his athletes than a really serious technical coach creating a program that they would have to spend more money on.
So lighten up. Maybe his star power will be enough to attract some stud recruits and the program will grow. I hope he kills it.
Also- can we get back to the OP: Lagat thinks his women are going to respond well to him yelling at them to run another repeat after puking and do it with the submissive attitude by yelling "YES COACH" this is comical. and then he ends the post by saying they are "family" this is the first step towards gaslighting or whatever it's called
Arizona is a program on the rise, last years recruiting class was the bes they've had in years. Training is nothing crazy. Men are hitting 60mpw in 6 days with 2 workouts and a long run.
You can't do much worse, so yea hope they are on the rise. If I was a HS recruit I would be pissed to learn they don't field full teams at the NCAA Regional meet. Why even go there if you are going to be treated like a hobby jogger club runner once you get through the smoke and mirrors
They probably need to worry about fielding a full team at Pac12's first - unlike last year with four runners?
Also- can we get back to the OP: Lagat thinks his women are going to respond well to him yelling at them to run another repeat after puking and do it with the submissive attitude by yelling "YES COACH" this is comical. and then he ends the post by saying they are "family" this is the first step towards gaslighting or whatever it's called
You are totally misunderstanding what is going on at U of A. Lagat is just exaggerating for effect. I know a woman on the xc team and she and the other women are fine with how things are going there. Lagat isn't as strict of a coach as he pretends to be in his Instagram post.
Whew, thanks for clearing this up we were worried Arizona was going to be good all of a sudden rather than West Region fodder. Can you ask your friend on the team if she is one of the lucky 1-2 that get to go to regionals or pac12s?
Lagat has that 90s mentality. Lower mileage, puke workouts, ice baths. The reason he was so good is because he’s so ridiculously talented. He’s really the greatest talent we’ve ever seen. He should have had world records and multiple golds. However, he just did stupid stuff like the aforementioned.
He actually did win multiple golds: 5. And he’s the second-fastest ever in the 1500, only .34 off the WR. Plus his training approach helped him enjoy remarkable longevity, qualifying for the finals at 5 different Olympics. It remains to be seen whether or not he can succeed as a coach, but let’s not act as if he was a disappointing underachiever as a runner.