Tracks: tracks run on today existed before the times got insanely fast. They all existed. They all hosted big meets. They all had paced heats.
Nutrition: there is zero evidence that nutrition suddenly changed across all athletes at all levels globally, all around the same year. Additionally, you need to assume that this nutrition change only impacted middle distance and distance runners. Times in the sprints have not had the same step change in time improvement-- so just distance runners started eating better?
Training:there is zero evidence that training suddenly changed across all athletes at all levels globally, all around the same year. The only shred of evidence is the increase in double threshold training in some groups, but many groups are training with similar methodologies as they always have.
You point to these vague indirect things which you need to believe all suddenly occurred and started having immediate effect across the world of track at the same time in the same year-- coincidentally the same year that super shoes were released.
Yeah man, 10 straight years of 30-35 sub fours on the men's NCAA side only to suddenly jump to nearly 100 (same year as shoes were released) because *checks notes* all of the athletes independently improved their diets at the same time.
This, and not only this, they need to add a conversion table, by calculating how much time these super shoes, and all shoes for that matter, actually take from performance. By converting these times, we can actually have a world record list that is true and respected for generations to come.
And there werent even 30-35 sub 4s before the super spikes came out. Before super spikes, if you cracked sub 4, you were guaranteed into NCAA or atleast on the bubble. Now you dont even make top 100. And this wasnt even 10 years ago
This is the only answer and the one thing that bothers me about the current era to an extent. It’s a RACING sport! When I started college track my coach and some of the older guys made sure the freshmen learned that we were there to race, not chase PRs. The times will never mean as much as the races, I don’t care who you are. Right now the social media world is doing its best to act excited about the 8649 records broken this winter but we all know the shine wears off fast when the records look so weak.
2005-2015 was an era with some fantastic racing going on. Every year the question being if the Kenyan’s team tactics could finally dethrone Farah. Remember when Jordy Williamsz out-kicked Ches? Pat Tiernan ran a ~14:00 second half at NCAA XC? Centro’s gold? Now Hocker’s gold was fast but nobody will remember the time of that race.
Want an example of why times are lesser than results? Cooper Teare’s 3:50 ahead of Hocker a few years ago created some serious buzz at the time. How about Kyle Merber’s 3:35 at Swarthmore? I think a young generation on Instagram and media like flotrack and Citius can really shove times down our throats but the sport will always be about results.
I think you need to try and get over this. I've been a runner since the 1960's and have seen many tech improvements to the sport. It will continue to progress, so perhaps get used to it and try to enjoy it for what it is?
I think you need to try and get over this. I've been a runner since the 1960's and have seen many tech improvements to the sport. It will continue to progress, so perhaps get used to it and try to enjoy it for what it is?
Wait a minute there were actually 123 sub 4 performances. Over 200 4:01 and faster. And to think, people were complaining about EPO and drugs…if the spikes were a drug the whole ncaa would be banned
We didn’t get the benefits of EPO or the technology benefits of super shoes, trampoline tracks bicarb etc.
Tired of all these phone addicted zoomers running sub 4 miles thinking they are elite when really that’s a 408 mile in 2012. Also grant fisher all of a sudden beating Bekele times by 5+ seconds and not having th humility to aknowledge the technology improvements is annoying.
i now identify as a sub 4 miler and sub 30 minute 10k guy with my 406 and 31 minute pbs.
Um, Galen Rupp's NCAA titles, his Olympic silver, and his three ARs in 2014 were all in that time window.
But that is the problem... why would a kid in the year 2050 bother "remembering" Rupp? Fisher is faster/better and Prefontaine was cooler and more of an icon.
If you are looking back on American track, there are few runners from the 1990s-2015 era that really jump out besides Bob Kennedy and his first sub-13 5000m.
Michael Johnson and Allyson Felix are the only American runners people remember from that era. (Unless you count Carl Lewis as a "runner from 1990s.")
130+ sub 4 milers in the NCAA list right now. Four years ago it had never broken 40 in total. Must be this "access to information" from the internet that suddenly appeared in 2021.
Your loss on the EPO. Just needed to visit gyms and talk to jacked guys, or visit gay bars and talk to people there, eventually you'd find some sort of connect to people who concern themselves with peptides and hormones, even before Reddit, YouTube fitness, search algorithms, and podcasts about bio backing existed. I was a child in those years, but even I could have figured this out
im sorry if im being so negative guys but its the truth come on. They shouldnt ban the spikes, theyre great i love them, but they should def add conversions or marks, make things interesting, maybe host a meet once every year somewhere on cinders, comparisons would be great to look at
When I was in HS, I was able to laugh at the football team mocking their bench press, and then I`d show them up so bad that the entire Team Started Clapping and Cheering for me. However, the Stupid Gym Teachers Watched and never realized that I was bench pressing the current olympic record at the time without any professional help. So ... The offered me a position on the football team ( I had no interest in playing games) and did not realize the potential I had. So ... that`s something to be pissed off about! Too much attention is paid to Games and nothing to the True Athlete!
We didn’t get the benefits of EPO or the technology benefits of super shoes, trampoline tracks bicarb etc.
Tired of all these phone addicted zoomers running sub 4 miles thinking they are elite when really that’s a 408 mile in 2012. Also grant fisher all of a sudden beating Bekele times by 5+ seconds and not having th humility to aknowledge the technology improvements is annoying.
i now identify as a sub 4 miler and sub 30 minute 10k guy with my 406 and 31 minute pbs.
He is already forgotten along with every generation of track and field stars. Only the all-time greats are remembered. Farah's shady associations make him very forgettable.
We didn’t get the benefits of EPO or the technology benefits of super shoes, trampoline tracks bicarb etc.
Tired of all these phone addicted zoomers running sub 4 miles thinking they are elite when really that’s a 408 mile in 2012. Also grant fisher all of a sudden beating Bekele times by 5+ seconds and not having th humility to aknowledge the technology improvements is annoying.
i now identify as a sub 4 miler and sub 30 minute 10k guy with my 406 and 31 minute pbs.
For the true track fan who knows what’s what, no they will never be forgotten.
You ran 4:08 in 2012? You included 2015 as the list of times that are forgotten so let's start with that. In 2015 500th in D1 was 4:14, its now 4:07. A few years later in 2018 it was 4:13. In 2024 (fully completed year) it was 4:08. So, with the new tech and shoes you probably "lost" 4 seconds give or take. So you would have run around 4:04-4:06 give or take. You still would not have broken 4. Now I know this is letsrun, and if you aren't a 3:50 miler you are trash but your mile still holds up very well even by today's standards. That would still be a lot of colleges school record. There is a big world outside of power 5 and big D1 schools. I ran 4:11 the year before super shoes. I think with them and the training in vaporflys I could have run 4:08. I am not going to lose sleep over 4 seconds when it really wouldn't have made a difference in my life and neither should you.