Where does Hocker vs Fisher today rank on all-time best list of US distance races?

This is probably correct. She studies up on and gets stuck on one narrative, and then doesn't have the talent for her call to move fluidly with whatever is actually happening in the race.

it's not unwatchable, because as a knowledgeable fan, i actually know what is going on anyway. but for the casuals, she is doing absolutely nothing to help make the sport more exciting. Not her fault. This is on NBC.

They could honestly probably take 80% of the guys who do football on a week to week basis, train them for a month or so, and they'd do a better job.

The 3,000 is an all-timer, for sure. For people who are complaining about NBC, World Athletics YouTube has the world feed calls and I find them better, they lost track of the time in the 3,000 but I think the analysis was really good:

Rojo was hyping Nathan Green the week before Strand went off and crushed the NCAA record. But before we all point out that Kessler is still better than both those guys, we have to be fair and say Green and Strand were somewhat unknown quantities. I assume Rojo's logic was that they could still do something unforeseen and rewrite their own stories.

Kessler is perhaps less "interesting" from Rojo's perspective because we already know how good he is. There is less room to improve when you are already a 3:29 guy. We have no idea what Green and Strand might do.

That said, I am taking Kessler every day of the week against those guys. Potential is great, but actual results count for more in my opinion. Kessler is the same age as those guys, so it isn't like he's washed and they are on the upswing. They are all 21, right?

The Duel in the Sun is legendary. That race is worth remembering

But I would bet money that nobody under the age of 45 has every heard of Dick Beardsley. Even Marti Liquori is a massive stretch. I know the name but can't tell you one thing he did.

Salazar is relevant because he was the best AND stayed around for an extra 40 years to coach (Rupp and Mo) AND blow up his career on "gray area" pseudo-science and bad behavior.

Ryun is well-known, but with the exception of his loss in Mexico City, I can't think of any races that he was famously part of. Maybe beating Snell? But I have no idea how that went down.

Strand is 6 months older and Green and Kessler were born a month apart. MAYBE Green and Strand will level up when they live and train like pros, but right now Kessler is better and it would be illogical to think this will change between now and this summer. Two or three years from now, who knows? It’s a guess. My guess is that they all get smoked by Wanyonyi, my pick to win the 2028 Olympic 1500😉

Nobody on this board watched Billy Mills back then. We have heard about it but were watching it live. That is like saying the greatest Super Bowl was in 1979 (Dallas vs. Steelers) and expecting people born in 2001 to agree.

I "know" that Billy Mills was great, but in terms of my own experiences, watching Webb break Ryun's record, live in person, was better because I was there. That is the problem with the word "best" -- it has to be something you connected with.

As for Centro's race, that indeed was amazing, but not as shocking at Hocker's. Hocker's OG should be the top race for every American fan of the 1500m who currently following the sport.

It’s the 50th anniversary of SNL this year and people are debating their favorite or greatest episode. Lorne Michaels pointed out that people always select an episode that aired when they were in high school.

The pace would have been just as hot if Hocker had not taken the lead. The fast pace neutralized Hocker’s kick and passing Fisher would have been as difficult as holding him off.

Yes. And the best music and cutest girls and the best movies.

There is a reason we all have at least one friend who is still quoting movies from when we were in high school!

It was admittedly a solid race but I'd appreciate it more if Fisher and Hocker were both Americans.

Fisher is Mestizo-Canadian.

Hocker slandered and denounced America when he publicly supported the illegitimate communist Biden-Harris junta.

Ryan’s WR 1500 set at a very full LA Coliseum where he used his massive kick to blow away Keino was epic. Sadly for him, Kip got revenge shortly thereafter in Mexico City.

For excitement, the race was as good as any but I can't rank the race itself at the top since it needed a pacer. I believe races with a rabbit shouldn't count towards records.

They should have their own category.

Salazar - Beardsley

solinski beating Rupp to the sub27

I’d say this is the best ever race for the top 2 American men in any distance event. The ‘24 Olympic 1500 and the ‘25 Milrose 1500 may be tied for second..

Indoor WR broken for both guys and 4th and 5th on the 3000m all time list. US men have nothing close to that combo in any event 800 and above.

Fischer and Hocker are the two best ever American distance runners.

I actually separate Salazar the runner and the coach. He was one of a kind as a runner. Even without the bans, the guy in the background holding a stopwatch, isn’t that interesting to me.

It was a great race and definitely in consideration. I only caught the last few laps on TV but got to see the mile. I know Ben Thomas from my AppState days so I was sort of hoping Hocker could hold it since Thomas coaches him. He was channeling Pre with that ballsy move. But Fisher is a fighter and he dug deep so props to him.

Kessler seemed he was on a mission to prove to himself he was better than the week before. Young man is getting more race chops and more fearless to mix it up each time he steps on track. Wouldn't be surprised if he eventually holds US records or world records at some point.

I would have to say for me personally it's Billy Mills for "best" or maybe most inspirational, simply because he won Olympic gold as an underdog in a race against the world record holder. And he basically doubled his 5K pr in that race...on a cinder/dirt type track in older spikes no less! Others come to mind for me: Dave Wottle, Solinsky breaking 27:00 to show non-East Africans could do it, Lynn Jennings winning three world Cross titles (still shake my head over those...she didn't quite have the pr's other athletes did). I guess the earlier poster was right - each decade or era will have its moments. I wonder when Jim Ryun broke 4:00 for mile as first American high school athlete - would the people of his generation say that was the best? Good stuff.

Ethan Strand would have been competitive in that race. He surely wouldn't have won, but he was going to run 3:47 with that group to draft and kick with. He did 3:48 well ahead of Farken and only took it late, sitting on a slower pace.

Ryun blew the doors off Keino so badly in that race (and not only that race) that he announced afterward he wouldn't be running the 1500m in Mexico City. Altitude and maybe Ryun's mono changed everything.