Random Swedish runner beats US half marathon record while US men continue to sit on their hands

You're right, that is a problem here. I think one reason is that the average Hobby Jogger doesn't know who any elites are.

By comparison, the average golf duffer knows the top pros.

Guys how play in the pick up basketball league or softball league know the NBA, MLB stars.

Running has to reach the grass roots and educate them.

I don't think it's to do with the cost or time needed to travel. I think I it's more about US distance runners turning inwards in the face of competition that they don't think they can compete against. US sprinters travel to race all the time, even the second tier sprinters, so it's not a cost issue. But US distance runners are, with obvious exceptions like Fisher and Monson (and it's notable that they do travel to race), not competitive in races with international fields so they stay in the US where they can have more of a competitive race against a domestic field. The attitude seems to be "we're going to get our asses kicked, so why bother travelling 6-8 hours to race?"

Yea, my thought would be to have runners only competing in one race each and not even thinking about doubling. Simple way to resolve that is to limit each athlete to one race. Although I could see somebody attempt a 5k/half marathon double on back-to-back days. It's doable if the 5k ends up being a sit and kick affair.

This is something I didn't consider because every large European country seems to have 2-3 big, fast races a year that give multiple opportunities one's own country and in the next country over. Just off the top of my head, thinking of Valencia, Barcelona, and Sevilla in Spain; Berlin, Frankfurt, and Hamburg in Germany; Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands; there are more examples. Whereas, only 1 of 3 US Majors is a fast course and all the other secondary marathons don't attract fast elites due a variety of factors (with Houston perhaps being the one exception, but falls at a weird time of year for most people).

Seeing as how we have probably about 100 sub-4 runners already this winter, Europe isn't blowing past us. We also have at the upper levels, numerous sub-13 guys, a 12:57 collegian, a 13:03 collegian, Grant's run 26:33/12:46/8:03/7:25, Woody's run 12:51i, Yared Nuguse's run 3:43/7:28i/13:02i, Hocker and Kessler are primed to go sub-3:30 this year, Adam Fogg's run 3:49. There are plenty of Americans there even if our marathon and half marathon results represent major underachievement.

I know that clubs will pay to send some of their runners to races. This was true even before the sport became professional. But once it did there was a time when there was decent money to be won at the races themselves. When Dunham was winning that weekly $1,000-$1,500 it was prize money from the races themselves. A mutual friend told me that for a time in the 90s Keith Brantley (he got the story from Brantley) was making a very nice living mostly winning 10k road races in maybe upper 28:00s or so, again with money won at races. And then one day that time was only good for 9th or 10th. I saw a quote from Steve Spence somewhere to the effect that it's infinitely harder for distance runners today to make a living from the sport than it was for him because there's not nearly the prize money available now than was there in his prime.

To your point, at least sort of, I don't know why shoe companies don't spend some money getting their athletes to a lot more half marathons and down. Have them schmooze a bit at those expos and after. New Balance wanted Kim Smith running for them because she did that, ran a fair few road races and enjoyed hanging around and schmoozing afterward. But I guess the companies know what they want and don't value that sort of thing as much now.

It can be explained with one word: soccer. It is so far above any other sport in terms of interest that Americans can't comprehend It.

The other factor is that half of Europe are borderline 3rd world sh1t countries and they wouldn't dream of try distance running when a player in some local league in Western Europe makes more money than Jacob Ingebrigtsen.

Ok, but Europe has 24 men who have run sub-2:07, the US has 3 (and only one of those was in the last 10 years). Europe has 14 women that have run sub-2:22, the US has 9. If you look at those WMM wins (nobody gives a sh1t about the podium at WMMs) then both Flanagan's and Linden's come with heavy caveats (Keitany starting her period mid-race and a biblical storm). Only Rupp's was a 'normal' race. I also like how you've limited it to the last 10 years so that you don't have to count Paula Radcliffe and Constantina Dita's wins, though that would add in Meb and Kastor for the US as well

Though this is just the classic two bald men fighting over a comb. 2:07 is still a great time in both the US and Europe (except for Bashir Abdi, who you missed from your list). A Kenyan or Ethiopian running 2:07 wouldn't even be able to call themselves a pro runner

have you seen some of the woman’s ice hockey salaries? Men’s Lacrosse? Wrestling? If you look up, track sucks. Look down and it isn’t so bad. Even in sports like woman’s golf, the money drops pretty quick. 200k in prize money doesn’t go far when you have travel to 25 events, pay a caddy, pay a coach, and the rest.

I suppose there are other professional sports where athletes are paid but not enough really to live on. One of the kids on a baseball team I managed had a father who had been a professional lacrosse player. My reaction was something like, "Really? That's a thing?" The ancestor of the NBA's G League was the Eastern League. It was played in small to mid sized cities in the Mid-Atlantic States and for a year in Anchorage. A lot of the players were good enough to be in the NBA but were kept out because they were black. They were professional basketball players but the league only played on weekends because none of the players made enough from basketball to live.

Sweden has mostly private health care. It's very far from the socialist paradise most like to believe.

This is false

random

So...I will admit that Andreas Almgren is not random or unknown; he now has a great track time to support his recent road race results. He now is #3 all time for Europeans (which I would argue is #2 all time since Mourhit is convicted doper).

But I think my point still stands about the ability of the current crop of Americans to break the half marathon record. Not sure if this is the right time in Nico Young's career to make an attempt, but the likes of Fisher, Kincaid, Rotich, and Klecker seem like they could challenge the record. Considering not every one of those guys in going to make the Olympic team, I hope we can see a couple target the American half marathon record in the fall. Or perhaps now in the spring when they seem to be in great 10k shape. And then focus on the Trials and go again.